


And The Rest is Rust and Stardust

by art3mis_black



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Author doesnt know a thing about engineering, BAMF Shuri (Marvel), Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Can we really trust Shield?, Canon-Typical Violence, Complete, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Genius Shuri (Marvel), Happy Ending, Hydra suck, I live for the Bucky/Sam rivalry, Kidnapping, Not Canon Compliant, Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Protective Bucky Barnes, Shuri ships it, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Steve Rogers Is a Good Bro, Steve ships it, T'Challa (Marvel) Is a Good Bro, Watch me make it up anyway, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes, seriously slow build
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:28:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 26
Words: 110,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23682385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/art3mis_black/pseuds/art3mis_black
Summary: After Civil War, Cap and Bucky seek refuge in Wakanda. Bucky still has one arm, and T'Challa is adamant they fix that. So Shuri calls up her best friend and doctor/mad scientist Lolita Haynes to help design a new one. Things certainly kick off from there.~~~“I just don’t want Bucky to be alone when he wakes up. He might freak out and forget where he is, we really don’t know. It’s better to be safe, don’t you think?” Lolita asked.Steve didn’t answer, so she glanced up at him.He had a look in his eyes, and that same knowing smile on his lips.“I think wherever he is, he’s safe with you.”~~~
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Original Female Character(s), James "Bucky" Barnes/Original Female Character(s), James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader
Comments: 75
Kudos: 152





	1. Introductions, Food Fights and a Tour.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first piece of writing i've done in a *very* long time, so i'm sorry if it starts off a bit shaky. I promise it gets better ;)

“Hey there, Buckaroo. We haven’t officially met yet- seeing as you were unconscious the last couple times I was here. My name's Lo,” Lolita called, strolling through the doors that led to the huge private medical room.

She was in Wakanda, after all, every patient had a damn private room. Bucky practically had his own floor. It was all very different to the makeshift hospitals she was used to working in.

Lolita had only been in Wakanda for a few days, after receiving a call from her good friend Shuri. Both Captain America and the Winter Soldier had been laying low in Wakanda for weeks now, following the fall out with Iron Man. Bucky was still missing an arm, and T’Challa was adamant they get him a new one. So Shuri called Lo, whose expertise in medicine and prosthetics was world renowned, and Lo was more than eager to help.

Bucky, who had finally woken up after his extensive surgery, stared at her from his bed. Blue eyes watching her every move with caution. She hesitated, trying to figure out if it was Bucky she was talking to, or the Winter Soldier.

Taking a deep breath, she reached out her hand to shake, but he simply stared.

“Don't call me that,” he said. _Oh thank god, it’s Bucky._

“What, 'Buckaroo'? What would you prefer me to call you?” No longer afraid for her life, she stepped closer and grabbed a nearby tablet to bring up his files. Not that anything had changed since the last time she read it.

“Bucky. Who are you?” he asked.

“I just told you, I’m Lo-”

Bucky cut her off with the shake of his head. “No I meant-”

“I know what you meant,” she said, smiling at him. “I'm the genius that designed and attached that new arm of yours. Well, with a little help from Shuri of course.”

He nodded his head in understanding. “You're Shuri’s friend. The one she flew in from England. She said you were a doctor, but you started making prosthetics.”

It wasn’t phrased like a question, but she answered it anyway, feeling slightly unnerved by the way his eyes continued to follow her every move. 

“That's me. You should be damn glad she called me, too. I saw some of her designs for your new arm. I’m pretty sure one of them was bright pink with hearts on it.”

This elicited a chuckle from Bucky. She grinned, some the tension seeping from her shoulders. She even felt a little smug for making him laugh.

 _What could she say, he was cute._ When he wasn’t being a scary brainwashed assassin, of course. 

“Anyways, how's it feel?” she asked, gesturing to his shiny new arm.

It was a damn good piece of work, if she was honest. The whole thing was made out of pure vibranium in a beautifully sleek dark grey with black accents. Simple, functional, effective. It suited him.

Bucky looked down and wiggled his fingers, clenching his hand into a fist. She didn’t need to imagine the kind of damage he could deal with that arm. Both her and Shuri had already tested it, several times. There were still holes in the walls to prove it.

“Good,” Lo said, jotting a few notes down on his file. “All your fingers seem to be working well. Go ahead and test your dexterity for me,” she raised her hand, instructing him to copy her as she alternated touching each finger to her thumb. “Great,” she said, when he mimicked her actions with ease.

“Hold your palm out flat for me, now spread your fingers apart. I'm going to try and squeeze your fingers together and I want you to resist, alright?” she said, using one hand to try and push his index and middle finger together, and then his ring and pinky finger together. He hardly budged.

“Perfect. Last one. I'm going to hold your hand, and I want you to squeeze my hand okay? But _gently,_ I don't want to break any fingers.” she chuckled.

He nodded. She placed her hand in his, ignoring the slight giddy feeling it gave her, and he gave her hand a very gentle squeeze.

“Great,” Lo went back to his file, ticking off that he had full control and dexterity in his hand. “You noticing any pain or resistance, Buckaroo?”

“Bucky,” he practically growled, but shook his head.

“Wonderful,” Lo said with a smile, “now, most importantly, what do you think of the look?”

He looked up at her in confusion, a very cute pout on his face.

She had meant the question as a bit of a joke, but she was genuinely curious. She felt bad that he hadn’t been able to give her his approval on the design before it was already attached. It would be pretty damn awkward now if he didn’t like it.

“It's fine,” he said, looking back down at his shiny new appendage and twisting it around to get a decent look. But his eyes softened, which caused Lo to smile. She recognised approval when she saw it.

“Just fine?” she huffed, “you're a hard man to please, Bucko.”

His brows furrowed in frustration at the nickname, but she soldiered on. 

“I’ll have to come and check on you for the next few days, just to make sure everything's going okay and your body's adjusting correctly- though I'm sure it will. But other than that, you're free to go for today. Any questions?”

Bucky’s deep blue eyes fell back to his arm, running his fleshy fingertips over the new metal.

“No. Thank you, ma’am,” he said, and Lo was suddenly reminded he was not from this generation. 

The doors to his medical room swung open, Shuri’s laugh ringing out loudly. She was followed closely behind by Steve and T’Challa. Lo smiled as they approached.

Steve let out a low whistle and stepped forward to clap a hand on Bucky's shoulder.

“New arm looks good. How ya feelin, Buck?”

Bucky smiled, “Good. It’ll be nice to be able to do things with two hands again.” He stretched out both hands experimentally.

“I still think we should’ve gone with the pink design.” Shuri grinned, causing Lo to giggle.

“Told you,” She smiled at Bucky. His eye caught hers, and he reached up to brush his metal hand through his hair. Lo thought she might have swooned a little.

“Ignore my sister,” T’Challa said, narrowly avoiding Shuri’s swats, “I think it looks great. Dr. Haynes did a fantastic job.”

“She did,” Bucky said, eyes back on her. “Thanks again, ma’am. And you,” Bucky gestured to T’Challa and Shuri, “for letting me use your medical facilities, and for letting us lay low here for a while.”

“Of course,” T’Challa said, “It’s the least I can do after what happened. Please, follow me to the dining hall. We prepared a feast. I expect you are hungry after your surgeries.”

Bucky stood, following Steve and T’Challa out the front door. He paused by Lo before he left, his eyes briefly scanning her figure. He sent her a hesitant smile.

Lo watched him go, turning to Shuri once they were successfully out the doors only to find her already staring.

“What?” Lo said, her face heating up.

“Are we really going to pretend like you weren’t just giving heart eyes to the Winter Soldier?”

“He’s my patient!” Lo shouted, her face blazen hot now. 

“And i’m your friend. I know when you’re lying.”

Shuri’s eyes locked with hers in a stare down. Lo let out a put upon sigh.

 _“Alright, he’s cute,”_ she mumbled

Shuri laughed. “He’s a little old for me, but yes, he is cute. However, he’s also extremely dangerous- don't let those blue eyes fool you!” Shuri said. Teasing, but still serious. 

She led Lo over to a large window overlooking the interior of the medical building. Lo looked down at all the people who were busy running around a few floors below them.

“I know,” she sighed, “which is exactly why nothing is going to happen. A girl can look though, can’t she?”

“Of course she can _look,_ but no touching. I know Captain Rogers says that he’s changed, and I agree- since being here he has significantly improved, but Bucky is still very dangerous. Don’t go catching feelings on me girl,” Shuri said, shoving her friend lightly. Lo rolled her eyes. “Also, he is way too old for you.” 

“Oh god right, Isn’t he like 100 by now?”

“Something like that.” Shuri laughed.

Lo caught three masculine figures exiting an elevator far below. Her eyes locked on Bucky’s retreating figure. Namely, his ass in those black form fitting pants.

“He sure doesn’t look 100.”

Shuri laughed even harder, and Lo couldn’t help but join in.

“Come on. We better get to the feast before the boys eat it all.” She said, grabbing Lo’s hand and pulling her towards the elevators.

“But i’ve still got work-”

“Shh, it can wait, come on.”

~~~~

Wakandan's really didn’t mess around when it came to food.

Lo thought ’feast‘ was an exaggeration, but when her and Shuri entered the dining hall, it felt like more of an understatement. 

Okoye met them at the door, nodding in acknowledgement. 

“Princess, Doctor,”

“Wow,” Lo said, taking in the tables covered in food, “isn’t this a bit much?”

Shuri laughed and shook her head.

“Super soldiers,” Okoye said, as if that explained everything. Lo saw Cap pile his plate high enough that it could be considered a tower. 

_Right,_ Super soldiers.

Shuri pulled Lo forward, grabbing a plate for each of them. They stacked their plates, though not nearly as high as Steve did, and walked towards the table all three men were sitting at.

“I’m surprised your brother is eating with us. Aren’t we too common for you royals?” Lo grinned, teasing. Shuri shook her head adamantly.

“We don’t do anything like that here. T’Challa might be king, but he is not too mighty to eat with anyone.”

To prove her point, she dropped her plate beside her brother and sat down. Lo snuck in between Cap and Bucky, cursing her cheeks for heating up when Bucky’s blue eyes looked up at her.

“Dr. Haynes,” Steve said with a smile, shifting his plate to give her more space. Lo smiled.

“Captain Rogers, I see you grabbed enough food to feed a small village.” she teased.

“Me?!” Cap said, affronted, “Look at Bucky’s!”

Lo turned to look at Bucky’s plate, her mouth dropping open in shock. It was just as high as Steves. All two of them.

“What?” Bucky said, defensive. “I haven’t eaten, I was in surgery.”

"Technically, so was Lo, but she didn't grab two plates." Cap pointed out.

Bucky rolled his eyes.

Lo couldn't help but laugh, and Bucky smiled too. His blue eyes lingered on her face and Lo felt her cheeks heat up again. 

Shuri winked at her from across the table. Lo pointedly ignored her.

“No manners,” T’Challa said, chastising the two men on either side of Lo. Shuri rolled her eyes.

“You’re just as bad brother,”

She leant forward to snatch a bite from his plate and he swatted at her. Lo got a vicious idea.

She might have a PhD, but she was in no way mature.

Feeling sneaky, Lo picked up her fork with her right hand and pretended to start eating in earnest. The rest of the table quickly followed suit, engaging in scattered conversations. 

She waited until everyone was thoroughly distracted, or so she thought, before switching to her spoon and scooping up a few stray peas on her plate. She felt eyes on her and turned to see Bucky watching her actions in mild confusion. She shot him a wink, not taking her eyes off his, and flung her peas over at Steve. To her utter delight, they hit him on the side of the head.

“What the hell!” Steve shouted, wiping stray peas from his face.

“Bucky!” Lo said, hiding her spoon under the table and feigning innocence. His jaw dropped in surprise when he realised what she was doing.

Shuri caught onto their little game and squealed in excitement, flinging carrots from her plate towards both her brother and Steve. Lo loaded up her spoon and fired more peas at Shuri, while Steve sat there looking thoroughly chastised and Bucky's face did something complicated.

Shuri returned fire, throwing more food at Lo, but she was distracted with a sudden attack from T’Challa and missed, hitting Bucky square in the face. 

Everyone froze. Shuri immediately covered her mouth in shock, terrified she had gone too far and invoked the wrath of the Winter Soldier.

Bucky lifted his hand, slowly, wiping at the food covering his face. He looked down, examining his fingers. "Oh my god Bucky i'm so sorry," Shuri tried to apologise. He paused, as if deliberating. Then, quick as lightning, he threw the food that was on his hand directly into Steve’s face.

Lo couldn’t help it, she burst out laughing. Bucky looked at her and grinned. Across the table, Shuri and T’Challa burst into laughter too. Shuri was laughing so hard she started banging on the table with her spoon to try and control herself.

Steve wiped his face. “Wow Buck, real mature.”

Bucky shrugged, still grinning. “She started it,” he said, gesturing to Lo.

Lo gasped dramatically. “I would _never,_ ” 

“Sure you wouldn’t, Doll.” he winked. The bastard _winked._

Lo felt her cheeks flush again and she turned to look at Shuri, who was already staring at her pointedly.

Lo felt her face grow even warmer.

Steve shook his head, chuckling under his breath before resuming his meal. Everyone else seemed to take the hint.

They finished their meals quickly after that. Even Bucky, who had possibly 4x the amount Lo did, and began tidying up.

She couldn't help but wonder how he managed to keep his muscular figure when he ate all that food. Lo knew first hand just how muscular Bucky was too, seeing as he had to be shirtless while she attached his new arm. The memory of those sculpted abs would plague her dreams for _weeks._

Damn Super soldiers.

They cleared the table and headed their separate ways. T’Challa had to go fulfil some kingly duties, while Steve and Bucky headed back to their respective rooms in the palace. Shuri lingered around Lolita. 

“You know," Shuri began, "you’ve been here three days now and the only places you’ve seen, besides your room, are the dining hall, my lab, and the hospital. It’s about time I gave you a tour.”

Shuri linked her arm with Lo’s before she could protest and directed her out of the dining hall.

~~~~

Wakanda was a beautiful place, no doubt about that. Lo was almost brought to tears when she arrived, gasping out loud as she passed through the shield of fake green mountains and into the city. You would have never known it even existed, all those skyscrapers and towering sculptures kept well hidden by the shield around the city. It was almost a shame such few people got to see it. 

Shuri led Lo out of the palace, where all their rooms were, and out into the city. They were followed by several members of the Dora Milaje, flanking them as they walked through the city streets.

Shuri led them through a number of cute shops, each selling various street foods and clothes and home made crafts. There was music in the air and people dancing. Each person greeted Shuri with enthusiasm, excited to have the young princess in their store. Lo tried to keep her jaw from dropping in wonder. It was such a contrast to see people in the streets with large lip plates and traditional jewellery, using touchless devices and taking magnetically levitated trains. Lo couldn’t shake the smile from her face. The rest of the world had so much to learn.

Shuri even took Lo down to the farms, where W'Kabi was tending to the White Rhino’s. "It's nice down here," Shuri said. "My brother comes to the farms a lot to get away from the palace. W'Kabi is his best friend." W'Kabi greeted them with a smile as they arrived, leading them over to the White Rhinos. He gave Lo an apple, gesturing to one of the larger ones. She held out her hand hesitantly, giggling as the Rhino plucked the apple and licked a stripe up her palm. 

“He likes you,” W'Kabi grinned, “you should feel honored. He’s very picky about people.”

Lo laughed and fed the huge rhino another apple.

Shuri ended their tour by taking Lo back to her lab. Lo had been there before already, when they tested out the designs she made for Bucky’s arm, but the sight still took her breath away. Lo felt like a kid in a candy store while surrounded by all that high tech.

Shuri walked around the lab with ease, tapping away at various screens around the room and fiddling with the communication devices left out on the workbench. Shuri’s mind was brilliant, far beyond her 17 years, Lo was almost envious. They had met through their shared love of design and engineering, becoming friends instantly despite their age difference. Lo was almost 25, whereas Shuri was only 17. And yet, Shuri was still the best innovator Lo knew. Which said a lot, because Lo also knew Tony Stark.

There were several mannequins set up around the room, showing the latest designs for T’Challa’s Black Panther suit. Shuri had let Lo play around with them earlier, showing her how she had managed to fit the entire suit into the teeth of the necklaces on each mannequin. The technology was simply amazing. It gave Lo hundreds of new ideas, dreaming up the potential of vibranium in medicine. Shuri said it had the power to heal bullet wounds in a day, and Lo could only imagine what else it was capable of. 

Compared to some of Shuri’s other inventions, Bucky’s new arm, fitted with artificial nerves to allow him to detect pressure, pain, different textures and even heat, was practically child's play. It was a wonder Shuri needed Lo to come in and help with the design at all, a question she had asked Shuri before.

_“You’re a kid genius, why do you need my help?” Lo laughed.  
Shuri smiled, Lo saw her shake her head in the video call.  
“Because Doctor, this is your area of expertise. It’s the perfect chance for you to experiment using vibranium in your prosthetics. I know you’ve been dying for the chance to use it.”  
Lo thought for a moment. Shuri was right, prosthetics was her specialty, and she had been dreaming of ways to get her hands on vibranium to use in her designs for years. Wakanda was full of it, and Shuri was openly inviting her to come and try it. There was no way she could turn it down.  
“Yeah okay, you’ll have to send a plane to come and get me though.” Lo grinned, watching and giggling as Shuri fist pumped the air on the other side of the call._

A day later, she was in Wakanda.

Shuri picked up a couple things from the lab, before her and Lo, and their entourage of guards, headed back to the palace.

“Thank you for this, Shuri,” Lo said as they were on their way back to the palace. “I really appreciate you giving me the chance to see your beautiful country, and play with all your high tech toys.”

Shuri laughed. “Of course, Lo. You’re my friend, i’m glad you’re here. Maybe you can learn a thing or two and take it back to teach those colonisers,” she winked.

“Trust me, I'm planning on stealing _all_ your tricks and secrets.” 

“It wouldn’t be the first time a white person came and stole something from Africa.” She joked, and Lo couldn’t help chuckle.

“You’re not wrong.”

By the time they arrived back at the palace it was nightfall. Shuri bid Lo goodnight and walked with the rest of the Dora Milaje to her room on one of the highest floors. Lo went in the opposite direction to where the guest rooms were.

There were several floors of guest rooms on the south side of the palace, overlooking the hangar where all the new aircraft arrived. Lo was on one of the higher floors, and from her understanding, Bucky and Steve were on the floors below.

It was quiet when she entered her room, flicking on the lights to reveal the inside.

The room was covered in bright orange wallpaper with panels of all different designs. There were traditional masks and paintings hung on each wall, even a bookcase filled with various books and ornaments. She absolutely loved it, the colours and designs making the room feel comfortable while still reflecting the traditional culture.

Lo stepped around the large glass dining table in the centre of the room. She walked past her rustic, dark wood kitchen into her bathroom. 

Lo showered, washed her hair and brushed her teeth and climbed into bed. It was still relatively early, but her busy day had left her with barely any energy. She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillows.


	2. Sparring, Tests and Surprise Visitors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 2! Hopefully this one is a little bit better than the first.
> 
> This fic is actually still being written, so i'm trying to stay ahead and keep to a weekly update, but things could always change! I've now written 25,000 words and still have a loooong way to go.
> 
> We're in this for the long haul, sorry guys. Prepare for the slow build.

Lo woke up the next morning, the sun streaming in through her curtains and down onto her face. She yawned and stretched all the kinks out of her stiff joints.

Lo showered, brushed her dark hair out of her face and went to the kitchen, mixing together a quick breakfast. Granola with yoghurt and fresh fruit she picked up from the city yesterday, nothing fancy. She started a mental to do list.

_Gotta find Bucky and check to see how his arms doing, gotta meet Shuri at the lab to work on some designs for Cap’s new shield and Bucky's memory. Should probably do some physical activity at some point,_

Her brain immediately conjured up an image of shirtless Bucky, and all the different ways she could do physical activities with him. She almost dropped her bowl of granola on the damn floor.

_Jesus Lolita, get a hold of yourself woman._

She shook her head to rid the intrusive, but not unpleasant, thought.

Lo went and changed, ready to start on her to do list. 

And if she was going faster than usual to get ready, well, that was no one's business but her own.

~~~~

Lo was dressed and ready to leave quickly. She was about to head downstairs when a knock came at her door.

“It's open!” She called, grinning as Shuri stepped into her room.

“What are you doing here? I wasn’t supposed to meet you until later.”

Shuri shrugged. “My morning was clear, I thought I'd come and bother you instead. So, where are we going?”

Lo linked her arm with Shuri’s, exiting her room and turning to lock the door. “I have to find Bucky and do a quick exam to check his arm.”

Shuri nodded, “Cool. So where is he?”

Lo paused. 

“Huh, I don't actually know. I figured i’d just walk around until I found him, or Cap.”

Shuri rolled her eyes. 

She tapped on her Kimoyo bracelet, bringing up a live camera feed of the palace. Lo felt her brows shoot up in surprise.

“Can you get every camera feed on that thing? Even private rooms?”

“Not all, but most. T’Challa has access to them all, as does Okoye, but apparently I'm not important enough to get full access. Oh look!” Shuri said, pointing at the image hovering above her outstretched arm. “Your boyfriends outside training with the Captain.”

Lo rolled her eyes, still slightly disturbed that so many people could bring up visual and audio feed of her bedroom. She followed Shuri outside.

Sure enough, Steve and Bucky were outside on one of the fields training. They were sparring with each other, no weapons though. Well, not including Bucky's arm.

Cap was in a light grey shirt and blue track pants. Bucky was wearing a skin tight black long sleeve and pants. Something about the all black was really doing it for Lo, but she tried to ignore it.

Her and Shuri hung back for a bit, watching the two men train.

“I’m surprised,” Shuri said, “Today is the first day i’ve seen Bucky do any hand to hand combat.”

“What do you mean?” Lo found herself asking.

“Well, usually they just go running or do some weights. Mind you it's been hard for Bucky to train with only one arm. But they haven’t done any physical combat until now. I think Bucky was worried it might trigger the Soldier.”

Lo felt her heart sink. She had read Bucky’s files before she had given him surgery, Shuri had warned her to do it in private, which she was grateful for. 

Lo was crying like a baby by the time she had finished reading through all the sick things Hydra had done to him. He was a great soldier, but Hydra had come and tortured him into some killing machine. 

It made Lo sick just thinking about it. No wonder he was so unstable now. According to his files, he had only recently started getting his memories back. Slowly reverting back to the old Bucky. 

But it was a long and difficult process, Lo imagined, trying to piece yourself back together after something like Hydra. Terrified you’ll get triggered and turn back into the Winter Soldier. 

That was part of what her and Shuri were working on in the lab. They wanted to see if it was possible to eliminate Hydra's programming from Bucky’s mind. Shuri had been working on it for weeks already, but they were still struggling to find a solution.

“Captain, Sergeant Barnes.” Shuri said, addressing them both. “It’s good to see you doing some real training again, Bucky.”

Cap and Bucky stopped sparring upon their approach. Steve smiled. 

“Baby steps, but he’s getting there.”

“Let me know when you’re ready for a real fight,” Shuri teased, eyeing Bucky. He grinned good naturedly.

“I don't think you could keep up.”

“Is that a challenge?” Shuri gasped, putting her hand on her heart dramatically.

“Baby steps,” Steve reminded them. Lo saw Bucky’s face drop, and her heart ached for him. It didn’t feel right, having to restrain him like this. Treating him like a ticking time bomb. It made Lo all the more eager to get that Hydra programming out of his head.

“I’ll be waiting,” Shuri said, regardless.

“So, what brings you girls?” Cap asked. Lo cleared her throat.

She definitely was not staring at Bucky’s biceps through his shirt. But judging by the look in his blue eyes, he’d caught her.

“I’ve come to steal your training partner. He’s due for a check up,” Lo smiled at Cap. He looked at Bucky.

“Right. We probably shouldn’t be training too hard until you’ve been given the all clear.” Cap said. Bless his heart, he even looked sheepish. 

“Nah don’t worry, i’m sure he can handle it. It’s just standard procedure to keep checking until we know for sure there aren't any issues.” Lo said.

Cap nodded, clapping Bucky on the back. 

“Well, i’m gonna go shower. I’ll meet up with you later.”

Bucky nodded, turning those blue eyes onto Lo. “Where do you want me, doc?”

Lo tried not to think of all the different ways _that_ could be interpreted. 

She felt her cheeks flush and had to clear her throat again. “The lab would be best.”

 _Yes,_ she thought. _Somewhere sterile and cold and not out in the sun where I can see the sweat glistening on your forehead._

Bucky smiled, gesturing for her to take the lead. Shuri stepped pointedly in between the both of them, wagging her eyebrows at Lo as she passed. 

Lo just shook her head, wondering how the hell she was supposed to get through her day when there was Bucky standing next to her and looking like _that._

~~~~

Shuri led them into the lab, disappearing to go work on the panther suits while Lo turned and gestured for Bucky to take a seat on one of the benches.

“Sorry Bucko, shirts gotta come off,” Lo said, not sorry at all.

He made no fuss, grabbing the back of his long sleeved shirt and pulling it over his head. Lo held her breath, stepping into his personal space.

She reached out a hand to touch his shoulder, and he flinched. 

“Sorry,” he cleared his throat, “your hands are cold.”

Was he _blushing?_

Lo smiled, pulling away and rubbing her hands together to generate a little heat.

“My bad. That's good though! It shows your heat sensors are receptive and working.”

She reached back out to touch his shoulder, this time he didn’t flinch, and he nodded.

“Yeah, that's definitely new. I’m still getting used to having so much...feeling.”

“What do you mean?” Lo asked, popping the panel of his arm to check the interior mechanics.

So far the exterior of his arm looked good, but she wanted to make sure the inside was working fine too.

“Well,” he began, seemingly struggling to find the words. “With the old arm, I didn't have much...feeling, I guess. I mean, I could feel pain, and maybe pressure, sometimes. But it wasn't a lot. I couldn't feel warmth or different textures, 'n things. 

“But you can now?” She asked.

Lo was surprised. She hadn't seen Bucky's previous metal arm, but had _assumed_ it was equipped with texture and temperature sensors. She had no idea that, until now, Bucky hadn't been able to feel with his left hand since it had been flesh and bone. The thought was enough to make her chest squeeze tight with emotion.

“Yeah, doll. It’s amazing. Feels like part of me, not just a piece of metal, ya know?” He said, smiling at her 

His eyes were so bright and genuine that she couldn't help but grin back. She was glad to be able to give him something after what he'd been through.

“I’m glad you like it,” she said, shyly. He grinned at her, that damn show stopping grin of his that had all the ladies swooning back in the 40s.

“You know, that accent of yours sure is cute. Where in England are you from again?”

Lo’s cheeks were definitely on fire. “Yorkshire, it's in Northern England.”

“Yowk-sher?” Bucky said, in what had to me the worst mimic of her accent she’d ever heard. 

She burst out laughing and he grinned at her.

“That's the one.”

“Thas’ the won? What are you even saying?” he laughed, copying her again. She stepped back and swatted at his metal arm.

Not her finest moment, she’d admit, because now her hand hurt like a bitch. She wasn’t going to tell him that, though.

“Oh shut up you, I'm not _that_ bad.”

“Really? You don’t think you have an accent?” he asked incredulously,

“Nooo, I know I have an accent,” she rolled her eyes, “I'm just saying; mine's not so bad. You should hear my mum! Her's is much thicker. ”

“Your ‘Mum’? Oh my god that’s adorable!” he said. Lo felt her face heat up in embarrassment.

“I mean it! My dads from London, so my accents kind of a weird in between. But my mum's is pure Yorkshire. _I_ don't even know what she's saying half the time!” Lo laughed, shoving him. He didn’t even move, but he did start laughing harder, so she counted it as a win.

Shuri came round to join them.

“What's going on here? I thought you were supposed to be checking his arm, not trying to push him off the table.” She laughed.

“Bucky’s making fun of me,” Lo pouted, snapping the panel of his arm back into place.

Shuri stopped to examine the situation. Her eyes locked with Bucky’s and she grinned.

“It’s the accent right? Isn’t it hilarious?” 

Lo’s jaw dropped in shock. 

“Excuse me? I'm literally right here!” she shouted.

“See! Even when you’re yelling, you sound so polite,” Bucky cooed, causing Shuri to burst into laughter.

Lo huffed, spinning on her heels and walking away.

“Wait-!” Bucky called, hurriedly pulling his shirt back on. 

Lo tried not to feel disappointed. 

“Im kidding!” he shouted.

Shuri was still laughing. Lo ignored them, walking to the other side of the lab.

Bucky jogged over to her, grabbing her wrist gently to stop her.

“Im sorry,” he said, a little breathless from laughing. “I was only teasing, Doll. It really is adorable.”

Lo rolled her eyes, but there was no anger behind the gesture. How was she supposed to stay mad with those blue eyes looking at her?

“You think you’re sooo funny, huh Bucko?” She smiled. Bucky grinned, happy to see she wasn’t upset.

“I think I'm hilarious,” he chuckled. “In fact, I think _you_ think i'm hilarious too.”

Lo’s skin was warm from where his flesh hand still held her wrist. She couldn’t seem to drag her eyes away from his face. 

The slight stubble on his jaw, the long hair brushed back from his face. It was enough to make a girl swoon.

She couldn't deny his statement. His grin widened even further.

“Alright you two, stop making goo-goo eyes in my lab.” Shuri said, brushing past the two of them. Lo blushed, again, because it seemed that was all she was capable of doing in Bucky’s presence. 

“Here, Bucky, I want to show you something,” Shuri said, pulling him over to her work bench.

“What is it?”

“Lolita and I have been working on how to remove that Hydra programming from your head,” Shuri said, pulling up a screen with a 3D model of a brain. Bucky’s brain, actually.

“Really? Any updates?”

“None yet. We’re still working out the logistics,” Lo said, joining them, “But definitely getting there.”

He grinned at her. 

“Wow, I don’t know what to say."

“Don’t say anything yet. It’ll take some time before we’re ready. I don’t want to rush into anything, we could end up doing more damage than good.” Lo said. 

“True,” Shuri agreed, “If we mess this up, we could bring back the Winter Soldier. For good.”

To prove her point, the 3D diagram of Bucky’s brain she was currently playing with flashed red. It started with a single spark in the temporal lobe, but soon spread until the whole brain was an angry flaming red.

Lo shivered.

“Yeah, maybe don’t rush it.” Bucky said, clearly hesitant. Lo chuckled despite herself.

“Like I said, we’re still working out the logistics. Here’s something _else_ you might be interested in.”

She walked over to another screen, pulling up the various blueprints they had for Cap’s new shield.

Bucky crept up behind her and let out a low whistle. 

“We definitely didn’t have tech like this in my day. It looks good,” he said, playing around with the shield on screen. 

It was Cap’s standard red stripes with the star in the centre. Lo once joked that it looked like a damn target.

“What’s this?” Bucky said, pointing to one of the smaller designs tucked behind the large shield. Lo laughed and pulled the image into focus.

“An early model. I thought Steve might like to try it, if he ever got sick of being so damn patriotic.”

It was the same circle design, but instead of the classic red and blue, the whole thing was covered in flames with a skull and crossbones where the star should be. 

Bucky started laughing.

“Wow,” he began, “It really suits him.”

“Oh yeah, the fire really brings out the blue of his eyes,” Lo said. Bucky laughed even harder, his eyes crinkling at the edges.

Shuri shook her head. “Children, honestly”

Lo scoffed, looking at her. “I can bring up the design you made for Bucky, if you want? You know, the bright pink one?”

“Nevermind.” Shuri said, suddenly interested in what was happening on her screen.

“That's what I thought.” Lo chuckled, “Alright Big Guy, we should get you back to Cap before he comes looking for you.” 

“Big Guy? Is that a British thing?” Bucky joked. Lo just groaned and grabbed his arm, pulling him out of the lab. Shuri shut down her screens and followed them.

~~~

They had made it halfway up the stairs when Shuri’s Kimoyo bracelet lit up with an incoming call.

“It’s an emergency call,” she said, face scrunched in concern. “From my brother.”

Lo felt Buck immediately go tense under her palm. 

She looked up at his face and watched all the emotion get washed away and replaced by a stone cold expression. 

It was terrifying, the closest thing to the soldier she had seen yet. Lo probably should’ve let go of his arm, but if anything she held on tighter.

T’Challa’s face popped up above Shuri’s outstretched arm. He looked rattled, which instantly put Lo on edge. 

“What is it?” Shuri said, impatient.

“We have visitors.” he said, eyes flitting to Bucky. 

If possible, he tensed even further under her arm.

“Visitors? Who?” Shuri said, ignoring Bucky.

“It appears to be Ms. Romanoff and Mr. Barton.”

“What? Why are they here?”

“I don't know. Get back to the palace, I will meet you there. You too,” T’Challa said, nodding to Bucky and Lo.

He disconnected the call. Shuri looked over them both, but her eyes lingered on Bucky.

“Do you know anything about this?”

Bucky shook his head, still tense. Lo squeezed his arm once before dropping it.

Shuri nodded, and the three of them left the lab at pace.

~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you guys think in the comments!


	3. Dance with me, Doll?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a monster, but it's by far my favourite. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Also, I don't know sh*t about science or mechanical engineering, so I am deeply sorry if the things I say make no sense or are completely inaccurate. I am literally making this up as i go :D

Okoye was waiting for them at the entrance to the lab.

“Your brother contacted you?” she said to Shuri, once they had all left the building.

“Yes. Are Nat and Clint here already?”

“Not yet,” Okoye said, shaking her head, “they should be passing through our shields now.”

They walked even faster, arriving on the palace steps quickly. T’Challa was outside waiting, as was Cap, with several guards behind them. Cap nodded tersely in acknowledgement upon their arrival, while T’Challa stepped forward.

“Brother,” Shuri began, immediately rushing to his side. “What is this? Is it a threat?”

Steve immediately shook his head, but it was T’Challa who spoke.

“No, I don't believe so. Natasha and Clint have no issues with us, and as far as I am aware, nobody but us knows that the Captain and Sergeant Barnes are here.”

“So you don't think they’re here for them?” Lo couldn’t help but ask, gesturing to Cap and Bucky. She had no idea what she was going to do if two avengers showed up and started a damn fight on the palace door step, but Lo felt adamant she wouldn’t stand by and watch if they tried to hurt her friends.

 _Wow,_ since when did Cap and Bucky get added to her list of ‘friends i’d put myself in life threatening danger for’?

T'Challa's mouth twisted into a tense line. “I cannot say for sure, but I think if their intentions were hostile, they would have attacked already. Or tried to sneak in. Still,” he said, turning his attention to Shuri and Lo. “Until we are sure, I think it would be best for you both to wait inside.”

“Absolutely not-” Lo said, at the same time Shuri said “Yeah right, like that’s gonna happen-”

Okoye muffled a laugh into the back of her hand. T’Challa just shook his head. 

“It was worth a shot.”

At that moment the Quinjet came flying into view. T’Challa immediately stepped forward, with the rest of the Dora Milaje, to form a half circle around Shuri, Cap, Bucky and Lo. 

Lo noticed in surprise that Bucky had also stepped forward. To plant himself in front of her.

The ramp lowered. Lo could barely see over Bucky’s damn shoulders and the many female warriors around them. She tried to step to the side, but Bucky moved with her, covering her.

“Your Highness,” a feminine voice called. Natasha, Lo guessed. “It’s been a while.”

Lo managed to get a peek behind Bucky’s tall frame.

T’Challa stepped forward. “Indeed. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Oh you know, we were in the area.” Clint said. T’Challa chuckled.

“Of course you were.”

Nat’s face hardened, dropping all pretence of humor. “Actually, we have a message.”

“Go on,” T’Challa said, when it seemed Natasha had stopped.

“It’s for Steve. And Bucky.”

 _Shit._ So much for no one but us knowing they were here.

In front of Lo, Bucky squared his shoulders. Defensive.

“Well, I don’t know why you came here to deliver a message that is not for me-” T’Challa spoke, but Nat cut him off.

“Cut the act, we know they’re here.”

Cap stepped out from behind the line of Dora Milaje covering them.

“There he is,” Clint grinned.

“What is it? How did you know where to find us?”

“I’m a spy, Steve.” Nat smiled, “You weren’t as sneaky as you thought.”

Her answer didn’t sit well with the Captain, but it was clear she wasn’t going to provide any further information.

“I see next time we will have to be more careful,” T’Challa spoke. “Please, come inside. I get the feeling this message is important.”

Nat nodded. T’Challa stepped to the side, all the members of the Dora Milaje behind him parted through the middle, making way for the new visitors. 

T’Challa took the lead, heading back towards the palace. Cap and Nat followed, with Clint a purposeful step behind them. 

Nat paused when she came close to Bucky. She nodded in acknowledgment, obviously tense. Bucky didn’t answer her, just moved so that his body was better covering Lo’s.

Nat’s eyes flitted to Lo behind him, lingering on her curiously. Bucky grunted, gesturing with his head for Nat to move along. She did so without saying anything, but her eyes still took in Bucky’s protective stance in front of Lolita.

“Bucky,” Clint nodded in passing, once Nat had moved on. Bucky actually returned his greeting with a nod of his own.

Together they all entered the palace in a tense silence.

~~~~

T’Challa led them all to the throne room. Lo suspected it was a power play on his behalf, a way to remind everyone that they were in his court now.

“The message?” He said, gesturing to Natasha. 

“Right. It’s from Tony. Friday picked up a glitch in Shields security coding last week. She didn’t think much of it, but a few days ago the Hydra files were tampered with and just last night one of Hydra’s old bases got broken into. We think someone within Shield hacked the file and leaked information back to Hydra agents.”

“We’ve got a mole.” Clint confirmed.

“What?!” Cap shouted, outraged. “I thought we were done with Hydra?”

Nat shook her head. “Apparently not, and now they’re on the inside.”

Beside Lo, Bucky froze. Shuri started cursing and disappeared to grab her data pad.

“So why are you here?” T’Challa asked Nat and Clint.

“We need the team back together. The whole team,” Nat said, looking at Bucky pointedly. “Shield can’t be trusted until we find the mole, so until then, the Avengers are all we’ve got.”

“And what do you plan to do?” T’Challa asked.

“We need everyone back in New York, in the new Avengers Headquarters, until we can confirm that our communication lines aren’t being tapped. Tony’s working on finding the leak, he wants to trace it back to Hydra and take them all out. Properly, this time.”

“And how do I know he won’t try and kill Bucky the second we get back? We didn’t exactly part on good terms.” Cap asked.

“Because,” Nat said. “We need Bucky.”

“Why? So you can use him as a weapon of your own?”

Nat rolled her eyes. “No, because he knows Hydra better than all of us. We’re gonna need his help to find them.”

“No-” Cap said, clearly frustrated, “you’re not sending him back there. Not after everything Hydra did to him. I won’t let you.”

“Steve-” Bucky said, speaking for the first time since Nat and Clint's arrival.

“No Buck! What if they capture you again? Huh? What if they bring back the Winter Soldier? I won't risk losing you. Not again.”

“ _Steve,_ ” Bucky said, more adamant this time. “Natasha’s right, no one knows Hydra better than I do. I know what they’re capable of, alright? I can’t just sit here and do nothing. Not when I know they’re still out there. I have to stop them.”

Cap sighed. “You can’t. It’s too risky. If they turn you back into the Winter Soldier we’re all screwed.”

There was a tense moment of silence before anyone spoke.

“Actually, I might have a solution for that.” Shuri cut in, showing them her data pad. “Dr. Haynes and I have been working on a way to remove Hydra’s programming from Sergeants Barnes’ mind.”

“You think that's possible?” Clint asked. Shuri nodded fervently.

“I was thinking, while you guys were fighting over Bucky. Up until this point we’ve been treating Hydra’s programming like an implant in Bucky’s brain, like something we can remove, if we can just figure out how to take it out safely. But I don’t think that's right,” Shuri said, turning her attention to Lo.

“What do you mean?” Lo asked. Shuri fired up the model of Bucky’s brain.

“Instead of looking for a way to remove the programming, maybe we need to implant something with enough electrodes to _counter_ it.”

Lo’s face lit up in realisation. “You think we can insert a bug to neutralise the program from the inside. Wait-” Lo panicked, “But for the bug to work, we have to implant it while the correct synapses are active, that means-”

“We have to activate the Winter Soldier.” Shuri confirmed.

“WHAT?” Steve cursed, ”You want to activate the Winter Soldier? But Bucky’s finally making progress!”

Lo shook her head. “It’s the only way. If we can insert a chip into the Winter Soldier’s brain, with enough electrodes to burn out whatever's going on, we’ll completely neutralise the programming.” She threw her hands in the air, grasping for a better way to explain it to everyone. 

“It’d be like... trying to start a car without a motor. You can turn the key all you want, but that car won't start. Shuri and I will implant a chip into Bucky's brain that will, for lack of better word, dissolve the motor that is Hydra’s programming. But, in order for the chip to find the motor, we have to implant it while the car is running. That way it knows what to attack.”

“Exactly,” Shuri said, jumping at Lo’s rather strange analogy. “Once the motor has been dissolved, no matter how hard Hydra or anyone else tries to start the car, it won’t work. So even if they found Bucky and used the trigger words against him, the Winter Soldier won't activate. But the rest of Bucky will still be in perfect order.”

Nat nodded, “That makes sense.”

Clint gave her a look that said he disagreed entirely.

“Bucky?” Lo asked, wanting to see how he felt about all this. His face was mostly blank, but she could see his brows were slightly scrunched in thought.

“I trust you.” He said finally, and Lo’s heart did something funny. “If you think there’s any way to get rid of the Winter Soldier, we have to try.”

Cap looked like he was about to disagree, but Bucky shot him a look.

“How long will it take for you to design this ‘chip’” T’Challa asked.

“10 hours? give or take. But we’ll need at least 3 for the surgery, and double that for Bucky’s recovery time, even with all the super soldier healing.” Shuri said.

“I think you're still missing the hardest part.” Clint spoke, and at Shuri’s imploring look he continued. “How the hell are we going to activate the Winter Soldier? And better yet, how the fuck are we going to get him contained long enough for you to put him under?”

“Also, with his metabolism, how are you going to keep him under anaesthesia? Won't his body just burn it out?” Nat asked.

Lo shook her head. “We already figured that out, I managed to keep him unconscious for 4 hours while we attached his arm. As for the rest of your questions...” Lo met Bucky’s gaze, “I have no idea.”

“I do.” Bucky said, softly, still looking at Lo. “I remember my trigger words. Hell, how could I forget? I have nightmares of them.” he inhaled sharply, turning to Steve. “I’ll write them down. Strap me in so I can't escape, and then someone can say the words. I’m gonna lash out as you say them, so just get through the list as quickly as possible. I’ll calm down after that, and you can knock me out.”

Cap nodded solemnly. 

“Alright,” T’Challa said, addressing everyone. “We have roughly two days before Bucky will be ready to leave. Clint, Natasha, you are welcome to stay should you wish.”

Nat shook her head. “We need to report back and let Stark know what's happening.”

“Don't worry, we’ll be back in a couple days to come pick up the Oldies.” Clint grinned.

“Alright,” T’Challa agreed, leading them out and back to the Quinjet.

Nat paused in front of Lo, extending a hand.

“Sorry Doc, I don’t believe we’ve been formally introduced. Call me Nat.”

“Lo,” she answered, shaking the Widows hand. Hawkeye nodded at her.

“Clint.” He said. Lo smiled.

They turned and followed T’Challa back out the palace doors. Steve immediately turned on them.

“Are you sure this is going to work?” 

“Have I ever been wrong before?” Shuri asked, grinning. The situation wasn't ideal, but Shuri was clearly excited about her new breakthrough.

Cap took a deep breath. “There's a first time for everything.”

“C’mon Steve, have a little faith,” Bucky said, smiling gently. He even threw his arm over Steve's shoulder.

“We need to head to the lab. You boys can come if you want, just don’t touch anything.” Shuri said, spinning on her heels in a huff and leaving in the same direction as T’Challa.

“Good one Cap, I think you pissed her off.” Lo chuckled, following suit. 

“Yeah thanks punk, I really appreciate you pissing off the person who’s about to be digging through my brain in a few hours. Not like she should be calm and focused before she cuts me open, or anything.” Bucky said, clearly joking. 

Lo couldn’t help but giggle, despite the circumstances, Bucky could be funny when he wanted to be. Steve’s expression remained stony, but he lost some of the tension in his shoulders.

Bucky punched him in the arm. Steve didn’t even move, but his mouth lifted at the corners.

If Bucky ever punched her like that, even jokingly, Lo would go flying across the room. 

_Damn super soldiers and their ridiculous strength._

~~~

The four of them made it to Shuri’s lab without incident. It seemed Shuri had calmed down just as quickly as she’d fired up. Lo pulled on a lab coat as they entered, adjusting the glasses on her face.

Shuri took a seat at a nearby desk, firing up all the screens around her. Lo sat down to join her, grabbing a data pad and getting down to work.

Bucky stood nearby, arms crossed and watching them in mild interest. He looked like a guard dog, Lo realised,. The thought made her chuckle.

He raised his eyebrows at her in questioning, but she simply shook her head.

Beside him, Steve started whistling aimlessly. He was walking around, taking in Shuri’s lab apparently for the first time. He approached one of the benches, reaching out to touch the device sitting half assembled on top. Shuri stopped him with a fierce look, and he held up his hands in surrender.

Lo chuckled, holding out a spare data pad towards the two men.

“Here, why don't you guys choose the music? We might be here a while.”

Steve grabbed the data pad, excited to be given a task. He started scrolling through the tablet and grinned, picking a few different songs.

The air was instantly filled with soft music. It was different to the upbeat songs Lo usually listened to while she was working, but it was still nice.

Bucky walked over to Steve, the two of them playing around with the tablet.

Lo put her head down and started working seriously, helping Shuri with the chip designs she had hovering in the air. She tapped at the end of the design, pulling the last few strands into focus and rearranging them into more familiar patterns.

Shuri helped, adding various parts and mechanics to the section of the chip that Lo was currently working on. Lo smiled.

She really loved working with Shuri, the two of them had such a great understanding of each other. It was like they didn’t have to speak, they just instantly knew what the other was thinking and what they needed.

Lo settled into a comfortable groove, getting lost in the hovering images and designs. 

An ear piercing scream suddenly filled the air, and Lo damn near jumped out of her skin. She turned to glare at the two men across the room. 

_“What the hell?!”_ She shouted, specifically at Bucky who was holding the tablet and grinning like a cheshire cat. 

“I like this song.” he said, clearly lying. Loud drums and a thumping bass were still blasting through the lab speakers. It sounded like some kind of death metal.

“TURN IT DOWN!” Shuri said, literally screaming to be heard over the heavy metal. The equipment on their desk started shaking with how loudly the ‘music’ was reverberating through the lab.

Steve took mercy on them and snatched the tablet out of Bucky's hands, instantly stopping the god awful song.

“What the hell _was_ that?” Steve said, looking at Bucky incredulously. Lo’s ears were still ringing.

Bucky shrugged his shoulders, laughing at the three of them. “I don’t know, it had a picture of a skeleton breathing fire on the cover. It looked cool.”

Lo rolled her eyes. “For god's sake, Steve you are now the sole person in charge of music. If Bucky even tries to touch that tablet, you have my explicit permission to slap him.”

“Oh come on, Doll, don't be like that.” Bucky said, still grinning like the evil shit he was. 

He acted all scary and intimidating, but Lo knew better. She knew, deep down, Bucky was still as boyish and cheeky as all those history articles suggested. ‘Trouble with a capital T’, her mother would’ve called him.

She rolled her eyes at him, unable to hide her smile, before getting back to the work at hand.

Time passed quickly after that. Bucky was successfully banned from touching the tablet, and Shuri and Lo worked through the implant design faster than either of them had thought possible.

They had just hit hour three of working. Lo’s hair had long since fallen down from its ponytail, landing in soft dark waves down her back. She rubbed her eyes tiredly.

Suddenly the air was filled with the sound of trumpets and pianos. 

Lo lifted her head in surprise, where had she heard this before?

_“The other night dear,”_

A masculine voice rang through the speakers, slightly tinny. The tone reminded Lo of the commentators her grandpa used to listen to on his old radio.

_“As I lay sleeping,”_

Bucky’s face lit up in recognition. In fact, it was the biggest Lo had ever seen him smile.

_“I dreamed I held you in my arms,”_

“What is this?” Shuri laughed, finally setting her work down. “It sounds _ancient_.”

"I suppose it is," Cap smiled.

 _“But when I woke dear, I was mistaken, and I hung my head and cried.”_ the voice sang.

“I used to love this song!” Bucky exclaimed, looking at Steve in something akin to wonder. The captain just laughed.

“I know, you used to sing it all the damn time.”

Bucky looked around, his eyes landing on Lo. She couldn’t help but blush under his excited gaze.

“What?” She giggled as he marched towards her.

_“You are my sunshine,”_

“Oh, I know this song!” Lo shouted, finally recognising it.

_“My only sunshine,”_

Bucky’s grin widened, and he held out his hand. She looked at him incredulously.

“Dance with me, Doll?” He asked, blue eyes bright. 

Lo’s mouth open and closed in surprise. _Oh my god he’s serious._

Shuri reached over and pushed Lo before she could protest. She automatically grabbed Bucky’s arm to steady herself, and he pulled her to her feet.

_“You make me happy, when skies are grey,”_

Bucky led Lo into the middle of the lab, where the least amount of equipment was. 

She could tell her cheeks were on fire. Helplessly, she shot a look over Bucky’s shoulder towards Steve. He grinned back at her, doing nothing. _Prick._

_“You never know dear,”_

The song continued. Bucky pulled Lo into waltz hold, wrapping his arm around her waist and linking his metal fingers through hers. 

_“How much I love you,”_

Bucky stepped forward, forcing Lo to move with him. 

They began dancing around the room, Bucky keeping them in time with the rhythm of the song. Lo sent up a silent prayer of thanks to her Grannie for teaching her how to dance.

_“Please don’t take my sunshine away.”_

The song broke into instrumental, and Bucky continued to pull Lo gracefully around the room.

 _Damn this man could dance,_ Lo thought. Sure, most men could, at least a little, but Bucky could _really_ dance. He even led her properly, guiding her around with confidence and making sure she knew exactly where to go.

From the corner of her eye Lo saw Steve straighten and walk over to Shuri, offering her his hand with a low bow. She giggled, taking it. 

They joined Lo and Bucky on the ‘dance floor’. Steve held Shuri at a much more respectful distance compared to Bucky, who had Lo pulled tight to his chest. Steve swung Shuri out with his hand, drawing her back in and spinning her under his arm.

Sensing a challenge, Bucky locked eyes with Steve and smirked. Lo felt her stomach flip, it was the kind of smirk that had her instincts screaming ‘oh shit, hold on’.

Bucky picked up pace, spinning her expertly around their makeshift dance floor.

 _“I’ll always love you,”_ the song continued.

Bucky pulled Lo even tighter, their faces so close she could practically count his eyelashes. Which were long and gorgeous, of course. Everything about him was freaking perfect.

“And make you happy,”

Bucky swung her out, spinning her, before pulling her to his chest again.

“If you will only say the same,”

Next to them, Steve lifted Shuri into the air and spun. Shuri squealed and Lo couldn’t help but giggle at them. Bucky glared at her playfully, clearly annoyed that she was paying more attention to them and not him. She couldn’t fight the butterflies in her stomach.

He moved his hold to her hip, and she held her breath.

_“But if you leave me, to love another, you’ll regret it all some day,”_

In a sudden change of pace, he lifted her and freaking threw her into the air. Lo twirled, feeling her lab coat billowing around her, before he stepped and caught her. She laughed, loud and thrilled and breathless. Bucky grinned at her, looking purposefully over his shoulder at Steve who just rolled his eyes.

Bucky was being competitive, Lo knew that, but she _loved_ it.

_“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.”_

She couldn’t hide the huge grin on her cheeks. She leaned her head on Bucky’s toned chest, closing her eyes for a second. He continued to spin them around the room, a little more slowly. He even hummed the remaining words in her ear. She could feel the vibrations through his shirt.

As the song came to a close, he pulled her waist tight to him and dropped her down into a dip. She felt her face heat up, eyes locked on his steel blue ones.

His hold was strong, but Lo could’ve sworn she was falling.

He pulled her back to his chest, still holding her tight. Their faces were so close, Lo could feel her breath mingling with his.

Shuri started clapping, and Lo broke away with a start. 

Steve joined in, clapping at them both, but he gave Bucky a look she couldn't decipher.

Playing along, Lo curtsied low, holding the tail of her lab coat like a skirt. Bucky grinned, bowing beside her.

They rose to their full heights once more, Lo’s head only reaching his shoulder height.

“I didn’t know you could dance so well, Sergeant.” Lo said, smiling shyly.

“Neither did I, to be honest. But the song started, and it all came back to me.”

Lo’s smile stretched out into a grin. “I’m glad.”

“Me too.”

“Alright, that was a fun little trip to the 1940’s. Now hurry up Lo, we aren’t finished yet.” Shuri called, getting Lo’s attention.

“Right,” she said, finally dragging her eyes away from Bucky’s blue ones. She felt a little breathless.

Lo went back to her station, picking up where she left off. But it was hard to bring her focus back to the task at hand, it seemed every time her mind drifted, it landed straight on Bucky’s eyes and smile and the way it felt to be held in his warm embrace.

She shook her head, trying desperately to clear her mind.

Steve cleared his throat from behind them. 

“You girls have been at it for hours now, you’ve gotta be hungry. Bucky and I will shoot back to the palace and grab us all something to eat.”

Lo turned to look over her shoulder, where Steve was staring at Bucky pointedly. She raised her brows at them.

“Sure...sounds great, thanks?”

They left together. Lo didn’t say a word until she was sure they were out of earshot.

“Did that seem weird to you?” Lo said, turning to Shuri. 

The other girl shrugged, “Definitely. But Steve's right, I'm too hungry to care. However,” she paused, smirking at Lo. “We have to talk about that dance!”

Lo giggled, “Oh my god wasn’t it amazing? I have never danced like that in my life!”

“It was the cutest shit i’ve ever seen! And when he threw you into the air oh my GOD.”

“Right!!!” Lo said, both of them erupting into giggles.

“I know I kind of warned you to stay away from him earlier,” Shuri said, serious now, “but I take it all back. You guys are adorable together, ugh the way he _looks_ at you!” She fell back on her chair dramatically.

Lo blushed. “What do you mean?”

“I _mean,_ ” Shuri exaggerated, “That everywhere you go that boy is watching you like a hawk- but in a cute way! He’s got crazy heart eyes for you girl, anyone would be blind not to see it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes i’m sure,” Shuri rolled her eyes. “Now hurry up, the sooner we get this implant made, the sooner I can stop worrying that Bucky’s going to flip and turn into the Winter Soldier.”

 _Fair,_ Lo thought, focusing back on the screens. But her heart was still beating rapidly in her chest. Did Bucky really feel the same way that she felt about him? Surely not- they barely even knew each other. She was being ridiculous.

But then again, the way he danced with her, and the way he stood protectively in front of her when Clint and Natasha arrived. Lo couldn’t help but wonder, and maybe hope a little.

~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh I can't. Something about Bucky dancing like it's the 1940's again just kills me. I hope you guys liked this chapter! Please let me know what you thought about it :)


	4. The Winter Soldier

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A warning, this chapter is *heavy* on the dialogue. I honestly could've kept writing and editing this one for hours, but it's already miles long. I hope you like it!

The boys returned quickly with arms full of food and Shuri's eyes lit up. Steve and Bucky turned to dump everything onto a clear workbench.

“This is awful lab protocol,” Shuri said, but clearly it didn't bother her too much, as she loaded her arms with various fruits and snacks.

Lo giggled, snatching an apple and heading back to their desk while Shuri ate elsewhere with Steve. 

Bucky came and sat next to her, dropping an arms full of muffins, fruit and protein bars. Lo’s brows raised at the huge amount of food. 

He watched her, then offered up the chocolate muffin she was eyeing with a grin.

“Thank you,” she blushed, taking it.

His grin widened even further.

“God that accent is adorable.”

“Oh shut up,” she rolled her eyes. He chuckled, grabbing the other muffin. It was blueberry, or something. Nowhere near as good as the chocolate one he gave her.

It didn't mean anything, but Lo's mind raced at the gesture. He was considerate. She had heard the stories of the Winter Soldier, of what he could do. But looking at Bucky now, picking apart his muffin and licking blueberries off his fingers- she couldn't believe they were the same person. 

“Can I ask you something?” She said seriously.

“Of course, Doll.”

His tone was light, but his posture stiffened. It looked like he was afraid of what she would ask, but was willing to tell her anything.

“What…” She cleared her throat, working up some of her courage. “What's it like...when you’re the soldier?”

Bucky frowned. She almost took it back but he held up a hand to stop her, swallowing a bite of his muffin.

“It’s...it’s not nice, Lo.” he said. 

Lo immediately started shaking her head.

“No, no of course. I'm sorry don’t answer that, you don’t have to-”

“No. It's okay.” He said, surprising her. He looked down at his hands, leaving his muffin abandoned on the table. “It’s...bad.” 

Bucky took a deep breath, as if steeling himself. Suddenly, all the emotion drained from his face and was instead replaced with a cold mask.

“I don't know who I am, obviously, or who anyone else is. Everyone around me becomes an automatic threat that needs to be taken out. I can’t even think properly. Someone I know could approach me and all I would register is their height, weight, strengths and weaknesses. I don’t care who they are beyond their threat level. There's no emotions involved, it’s just me and my mission.”

His eyes took on this far away look, like he wasn't with her anymore.

“Hydra turned me into a machine. I didn’t even think of myself as a person. I still don’t, sometimes. I was just ‘the asset’ or ‘the soldier’, my only purpose was to kill. If I failed, I was punished...I remember being afraid, and wanting to escape, but having no where to go. They used to strip me down and torture me, then wipe my memory. Once they’d had enough of me, they’d put me back in the ice.”

Lo couldn't help but gasp, wondering how anyone could do anything so disgusting and cruel.

“Oh _Bucky,_ ” she said, her heart breaking for him. “I’m so _sorry._ ” 

“Don’t be. It’s not your fault, Doll.”

“Doesn't matter," she shook her head. " _God,_ you poor thing. You didn’t deserve to be put through any of that. No one deserves to go through what you did.”

Bucky shrugged, as if to say, _what can you do?_

“Maybe not. But I did some awful things when I was with Hydra. Things I wish I could take back, but I can’t. Sometimes... I wonder if I even deserve all the beatings I got, it was like punishment for all of my crimes.”

“ _No._ ” Lo said, never feeling so sure in her life. “You were a victim, Bucky. Nothing you did was your fault, you had no control! You did _not_ deserve what happened to you.”

He finally looked at her. The mask he had been wearing fell away, and his eyes filled with pain. She couldn’t help it. She reached over and yanked him into the biggest hug she could manage around his huge frame.

Bucky tensed up in shock at first, but Lo refused to let go. As the seconds passed, he began to relax, and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. She even felt him shove his face into her hair, breathing deeply. It was like he was unused to the affection, but needed it. Lo wondered how long it had been since someone had actually hugged him, and then her heart broke even more.

After a moment, he pulled back, and Lo let him go. 

“It’s not your fault.” She said again.

He nodded, though he was clearly struggling to believe her. 

“I’m getting better,” He said. “I still get nightmares, and sometimes I forget where I am. Or who I am. But I haven’t changed back to the Winter Soldier in a while. Steve’s helped a lot, he brought back most of my memories from before. I’m not the same man that I used to be. I don’t think I can ever be the Bucky that Steve knew before the army. But maybe I can try and be something close to it.”

“No one can go back to who they used to be after experiencing something like that. You’ll have your good days, and your not so good days. But you’re trying, Bucky. And that’s all anyone could ever ask for.” Lo said. “I’m sorry we have to make you go through it again. But with the implant, you’ll never have to worry about becoming the Winter Soldier ever again.”

“Trust me, it’s worth it.” he chuckled, despite the solemn conversation. “I’ll still remember everything though, right? I’ll still remember everything I did?”

Lo nodded.

“You’ll remember everything. Even the bad parts. You might still get nightmares, like most people with PTSD do, but you’ll never forget who you are. You won’t turn into the Winter Soldier ever again, by accident or on purpose. You’ll just be Bucky, and no one can make you be anything else.”

He blew out a breath in what Lo thought was relief.

“Good. I know it sounds strange, but I don’t want to forget. I want to remember what they did to me, and what I did to other people. I don’t want to be Hydra’s asset, but I still want to remember the things they taught me. Use the weapon they created against them, but on my own free will.”

“Poetic justice huh?” Lo smirked. “I like it.”

Bucky smiled at her, small and a little nervous.

“Thank you,” he said suddenly. 

“For what?” Lo asked, surprised.

“For helping me. You’re a good person, Lo.”

His eyes were so sincere, Lo couldn’t help but look down and blush.

“Even if you are a little shy. And you talk funny.”

Lo smacked whatever body part was closest to her, which happened to be his knee. He laughed earnestly. 

“You’re the one who talks funny, Sarge.”

“What do you mean, Doll?”

“I mean that! Calling me ‘Doll’, using slang that hasn't been heard in _decades._ ” She laughed.

“What, you don’t like it when I call you ‘Doll?’” he asked.

Lo shook her head. “No I do, I-” her blush deepened. “I do.”

Bucky's face lit up in a shit eating grin. 

“ _Oh._ I see.”

Lo rolled her eyes. He was teasing her, she knew, but there was a truth to her words. It was what had her blushing so deeply. She really did like when he called her nicknames. When he talked to her at all, really. _God, she sounded like a school girl with a crush._

Lo shook her head to clear her thoughts, and hopefully her red cheeks too.

“Alright, Buckaroo. Breaks over, I gotta get back to work.” Lo said, standing and turning away. She walked over to where Shuri and Steve were bent over a workbench.

“Updates?” Lo asked.

“We’re probably 90% finished with the blueprints. Just gotta add some finishing touches, then I can get one of the machines started on making it.” Shuri answered.

“90%?” Bucky asked, coming to stand next to Lo, “I thought you said you needed 10 hours. It’s only been 5.”

“I forgot to factor in that Lo is a complete genius, and would make this whole process twice as fast,” Shuri winked.

“Whatever,” Lo rolled her eyes, “I’m just glad it’s almost done. Now we can move on to step two,” she looked at Bucky apprehensively.

“Right. You need the Winter Soldier," he said.

Shuri nodded.

“Can you write down your trigger words?”

“I can, but they’re in Russian. Who’s going to say them?”

“I’ll do it,” Lo said.

“You speak Russian?” Bucky asked in surprise. Lo shrugged.

“I travel a lot with work. You learn a few things.”

Steve took her admission with much less surprise.

“Right. Well you get started on the words, Buck, and I’ll try and find a way to strap you down so you can't escape.” Steve said.

“There’s chains in the back.” Shuri answered, nonchalant.

“Really? Who has chains just lying around?” Lo asked, her face screwed up in confusion.

“They get used more than you’d think. Don’t ask.” 

The group lapsed into silence.

“Oookay,” Steve said, dropping the discussion in favour of finding the chains.

Lo helped Shuri finish up on the chip, while Bucky found a pen and paper and started writing down the words. Apparently they were only effective when someone else said them.

It made sense, Lo realised. Or else Bucky would have the power to reset himself whenever he wanted. That could be problematic for his handlers.

Lo shivered. Even _thinking_ the word 'handler' made her feel sick.

~~~~

T’Challa entered the lab a short while later, along with Okoye and other members of the Dora Milaje. They wanted to be there while the Soldier was activated, in case anything went wrong.

Bucky was lying down on a large medical table while Steve wrapped him in chains.

“These won’t hold forever, Doc,” he’d said earlier, “So you better make it quick.”

Shuri was just grabbing the finished chip from one of her machines. She put it down on a tray next to Bucky's head, alongside the needles of anaesthesia.

“This isn’t going to be pleasant,” Lo said, looking down at Bucky on the table and trying not to outwardly cringe. “We’re essentially performing a Transsphenodial surgery, which means we’re going to insert the chip into your pituitary gland through your nose. It’s the least invasive way for us to plant the chip, but it’s a very delicate procedure so it’s gonna take a while.”

Steve cleared his throat next to her, catching Lo's attention. He didn't say anything, but his expression showed he was clearly confused by what she'd just said. Shuri sighed.

"We're going up his nose to put an implant in his brain. It's not going to feel nice," Shuri clarified. Steve cringed, but nodded in understanding.

Lo looked down at Bucky again. 

His cold and expressionless mask was back, but he nodded at her.

“I trust you.”

Bucky let his head rest back on the table. Lo took a deep breath, fighting the wave of nerves his honesty had caused.

“Ready?” She asked, looking around at everyone gathered in the room.

Steve and T’Challa nodded, grabbing Bucky’s arms and holding them to the table. The Dora Milaje formed a circle around them, their spears aimed at Bucky.

Lo cringed. Bucky’s eyes met hers, his mask slipping away for a moment, and he smiled at her in reassurance.

“Say the words, Doll.” 

Lo grabbed the paper he had used to write down the trigger words. Shuri rested a hand on her shoulder and she let out a shaky breath.

“Желание,” Lo began, and Bucky immediately screwed his eyes shut.

“Ржавый. Семнадцать.” 

He started groaning, pulling on his restraints. Cap and T’Challa moved to hold him down more securely.

“Рассвет. Печь. Девять.”

Bucky screamed, lashing out and pulling on his chains so viciously it had to be painful. Cap moved so that the majority of his body weight was holding Bucky’s chest to the table.

“Доброкачественный. Возвращение на родину.”

“NO!” Bucky screamed, throwing his head back against the table. T’Challa quickly moved his hand to Bucky’s forehead, forcing him to keep his head down.

Lo felt tears spill down her cheeks. She couldn't stop them.

_I’m sorry Bucky._

“Один, грузовой вагон.”

Bucky stopped moving.

Panic flared through Lo’s chest. 

“ _Soldier?_ ” She asked in Russian.

“ _Ready to comply._ ” He responded. His voice was so deep and dejected it made Lo’s heart break.

“He’s ready,” she said, in English again.

Steve and T’Challa let him go cautiously. Bucky remained tense on the table, his eyes locked on hers.

Lo wiped at her eyes with the sleeves of her lab coat. She grabbed the needle of super soldier anaesthesia beside his head and picked up his human wrist.

“ _You need maintenance,_ ” Lo said to him, once again in Russian. “ _We have to give you anaesthesia._ ”

He didn’t answer, just let his eyes track her movements as she turned over his arm and injected the anaesthesia straight into his bloodstream.

Less than a minute later, he was out cold.

Lo blew out a breath she didn't realise she was holding.

“That was scary.” Shuri said. It wasn’t meant as a joke, but Lo laughed a little hysterically.

“I’ve performed amputation surgeries in the middle of war zones, but that was still by far the scariest thing i’ve ever seen.” she answered.

“You’ve done amputation surgeries?” Shuri asked incredulously. Lo just nodded, walking away.

She went to the sinks to wash her hands again and prepare for the surgery. The Dora Milaje left the room to give them some space, but T’Challa remained. 

Shuri pulled out some more equipment and pulled on her gloves.

Lo went and joined her by Bucky, picking up some of her tools. They looked at each other and nodded, settling in to begin the surgery.

Steve and T’Challa watched tensely from afar.

~~~~

2 hours and 37 minutes later, the surgery was complete.

Bucky had mild swelling around his nose and eyes, but other than that, he didn’t look any worse for wear.

The surgery itself had no complications, but the real test would be seeing whether or not the implant worked. 

Lo grabbed a syringe and gave Bucky another small shot of anaesthesia. They decided it would be best for his body to heal before they activated the chip, so she wanted to give him another injection to ensure he would stay unconscious while he healed. 

Meanwhile, Shuri set up several machines around Bucky to measure his brain activity and other diagnostics.

They waited a further hour until Lo was sure his incisions had completely closed over, before activating the chip.

The Dora Milaje re-entered the room and formed a protective circle around the medical table. T’Challa and Steve resumed their previous positions on either side of Bucky, prepared to hold him down if he woke up.

Lo would be lying if she said she wasn’t nervous. They had no way of testing the chip before, so there was no way anyone could be really sure what was going to happen. She looked at the clock.

“It’s time. Shuri, can you activate the implant?”

Shuri walked over to her computer and brought up Bucky’s diagnostics as well as the chips coding. She pressed a few keys and looked over her shoulder at the rest of them. Lo nodded, biting her lip.

Shuri activated the implant.

On the table, Bucky jerked, but quickly settled. 

“It's working!” Shuri said, turning one of her screens so Lo could see.

Sure enough, the scan of Bucky’s brain activity was going haywire. The implant was doing its job, effectively firing at all the parts of Bucky’s brain that were controlled by Hydra, until they all disappeared.

Lo swore, running over and pulling Shuri into a hug.

“We did it!” She laughed, and Shuri returned the hug just as enthusiastically.

They pulled apart and turned back to focus on the screens. Everything looked good. Better than good, it was going perfectly. 

Lo couldn’t help but grin, watching as every piece of Hydra’s programming got burned away from Bucky’s brain.

“Well done,” T’Challa smiled. Lo left the screens to go check on Bucky.

He was still unconscious on the table, and she didn’t see any signs of muscle spasms or other abnormalities. 

“Thank you,” Lo said, returning the King's smile. She looked at Steve, who was obviously relieved but still tense. “He’s gonna be okay, Cap. Just needs to rest now.”

Steve let out a breath of relief. “ _Thank God._ ”

“Don’t thank God, thank us.” Shuri teased, joining them beside Bucky.

Steve rolled his eyes. “I’ll thank you both.”

“We can probably move him now, if you wanted,” Lo said, looking mostly at Steve. “He’s going to sleep for a good few hours. It might be best to move him to a bed somewhere quiet. We can monitor him from there.”

“He can return to his room in the medical building.” T’Challa said. Steve nodded.

Shuri pulled over a stretcher and the two men lifted Bucky from the medical table. Lo helped them arrange the various wires attached to Bucky's arm and brain before they put him gently on the stretcher, wheeling him towards the lab's exit.

They took Bucky from Shuri’s lab all the way to the medical building, taking a car to get there faster. 

Steve and T’Challa pushed Bucky from the car and into the elevator of the medical building. Shuri and Lo joined them, while the Dora Milaje waited outside.

They got Bucky to his room, lifting him from the stretcher and onto the same bed he was in when Bucky and Lo ‘officially’ met. 

‘Officially’, because they had already met before, but Bucky was unconscious at the time while Lo was attaching his metal arm. It didn’t really count.

Shuri helped them rearrange Bucky’s various wires once more, so that they could manage his progress and vitals from her datapad while he rested.

Lo couldn’t help but smile at his sleeping face. He looked so much younger like this, with his hair fanning out around his head. The seemingly permanent frown erased from his features. He looked _peaceful._

“Alright, we should leave Sergeant Barnes to rest. You girls haven’t slept, and barely eaten, in the past 12 hours. Come on, go eat and get some sleep.” T’Challa said, ushering them from the room.

Shuri let out a long and miserable groan. 

“12 hours? No wonder I'm so hungry. Come on Doctor, let's go raid the kitchens.” She said, grabbing on to Lo’s arm.

Lo's eyes flicked back to Bucky, looking so peaceful in his sleep. 

He'd told her he trusted her, before she'd used his trigger words. She knew it was hard for him to trust, after everything he'd been through. So the significance of his gesture wasn't lost on her.

The idea of leaving him now, alone in a hospital, didn't feel right. He trusted her. She couldn't leave him.

“Actually,” Lo said, “I think I might stay. If that's alright.”

“Why?” Shuri asked, eyeing her curiously. “He’s not going anywhere, you know.”

“No I know,” Lo laughed. She glanced at Cap and T’Challa, who were also looking at her in surprise. “It sounds silly...but I want to stay here and monitor him. I don’t want him to wake up alone. Who knows what kind of state he’ll be in at first.”

It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't exactly the whole truth. They really had no idea what Bucky would be like once he woke up, but Lo wasn't staying just so she could monitor him. It was because she couldn't find it in herself to leave.

“That could be hours away,” Shuri argued. Lo shrugged.

“I know. It’s fine. I just want to stay here and check on him.”

It looked like Shuri was about to argue further, clearly worried about Lo's lack of food and sleep, but Steve cut her off.

“We’ll send up some food for you, then.” the Captain smiled, almost knowingly. Lo felt her cheeks heat a little.

“And some chairs. If you’re staying a while, you’ll want something more comfortable than a desk chair.” T’Challa nodded.

“Thanks,” Lo said. 

T’Challa smiled, wrapping an arm around Shuri’s shoulder and guiding her out of the room purposefully. Steve followed them, but paused at the door before he left.

Shuri and T'Challa continued to the elevators, while Steve hovered at the door way. His eyes met Lo's.

“It’s nice, you know. You staying here to keep an eye on him.”

Lo looked down at Bucky once more, taking in his sleeping face.

“I just don’t want him to be alone when he wakes up. He might freak out and forget where he is, we really don’t know. It’s better to be safe, don’t you think?”

Steve didn’t answer, so she glanced up at him.

He had this look in his eyes, and that same knowing smile on his lips.

“I think wherever he is, he’s safe with you.”

There was a meaning to his words she couldn’t decipher. He didn’t give her the chance to ask, because as soon as he spoke, the Captain left the room.

~~~~

True to his word, less than 30 minutes later platters of food and a huge comfortable looking armchair were brought into Bucky’s medical room by the king's guard. Lo chuckled when she saw them.

She snatched a few bites of food, grabbing a datapad and moving to sit comfortably on the chair next to Bucky’s bed. 

She ate for a while, checking his vitals. She even examined his arm again to make sure there were no signs of irritation or infection around his new chestplate. All seemed to be in order.

Lo sat back in the arm chair, watching Bucky as his chest rose and fell in sleep.

 _Handsome._ She thought, eyes taking in his dark hair and peaceful expression. His skin was even slightly tanned from the sun. It was easy to see how he’d been such a catch with the ladies in the past.

Suddenly, Lo was imagining what it would have been like if she’d been born in the 1920’s. If she’d grown up around Bucky, before he left for the war. She wondered if they might’ve been friends. Imagined they could’ve been even more.

It was a weird thought, but a comforting one. And before Lo knew it, she was falling asleep to visions of her and Bucky dancing. Just like before. But this time it was in a hall, after the war, with Bucky dressed in his army uniform and Lo dolled up in a red dress and pearls.

~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We finally get the quote from the summary! I honestly love that little moment between Steve and Lo- i hope you guys did too. I also spent like an hour researching what the hell a Transsphenodial surgery is, so that was fun. 
> 
> Feel free to leave any thoughts/opinions/feelings in the comments! I love hearing what you guys have to say :)


	5. What The Hell Is A WCW?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a fun chapter to write. It isn't super plot heavy, but we see the characters interact a lot and just be themselves, which I always love. I hope you guys like it! 
> 
> I'm still writing this story, currently up to chapter 11 and I still have so much to go. I seriously think this is going to be a 30 Chapter fic. Wish me luck, lol.

Lo woke with a start. 

She snatched her data pad before it fell to the floor and checked the time. It was early hours the next morning, which meant she had slept in Bucky’s medical room all night. Her shoulders were stiff and her neck was screaming at her for staying in an uncomfortable position for so long, but Lo tried to ignore it. She was just beginning to wonder why she had woken up, when a deep gravelly voice caught her by surprise.

“Lo?” Bucky whispered, his voice still husky from sleep. Lo's gaze snapped to him.

“Bucky!” She said, jumping up from her chair and rushing to his bed side. It probably wasn't the best idea, considering she had no idea what mental state he was in right now, but all self preservation went flying out the window the second he said her name. “How are you feeling?”

He was sitting up in the medical bed, his hair all messy from sleep. Her fingers itched to smooth the dark waves out of his face, but she restrained. His eyes were also adorably drowsy, but Lo supposed taking 15x the normal dosage of anaesthesia would do that to you.

Bucky coughed and cleared his throat.

“I’m fine, Doll. What are you doing here?”

He looked at her curiously, his eyes were warm and soft. Lo felt herself blush under the intensity of his gaze. 

She stalled by using her data pad to check his vitals, before examining his nose where they had made the incision. Everything was healed already. She stepped back and cleared her throat, avoiding his blue eyes. She felt incredibly shy all of a sudden, like she was embarrassed to tell him the real reason she'd stayed by his bed all night. She didn't know how he would react.

"Um," Lo stalled again, clearing her throat, “I stayed behind to keep an eye on you. I wanted to make sure you were okay and that, um, you were recovering well. Have you noticed anything different since you woke up?”

She brought up the updated scans of his brain on her data pad. It was clear. All traces of Hydra's Winter Soldier programming were gone. Lo could barely contain the relief she felt.

Bucky didn't answer right away, and she forced herself to look up from the data pad and meet his gaze. His eyes were crinkling at the edges, the ghost of a smile on his lips. She had said something that had obviously pleased him.

“Yeah, you looked like you were doing a _great_ job of keeping an eye on me while sleeping,” Bucky teased, looking pointedly at the armchair Lo had fallen asleep on. She rolled her eyes at him, but couldn't fight the grin from creeping onto her face. 

“But actually," Bucky continued, his voice getting less husky with each word, "There is somethin' different. It’s not somethin' I can really explain. But, I feel… lighter. It's like, until now, I could always feel the Soldier in my head, just waiting to take over. But that feeling is gone now. I still remember everything, but the pressure to comply is just... _gone_. I feel like my mind is _mine_ again.”

Lo breathed out a sigh of relief, happy to see him so... _him_.

“That's great!” she grinned, “all the scans show that you’re completely cleared. We still need to test you with the trigger words, but that can wait until you're fully recovered. Are you noticing any dizziness or disorientation? Do you know where you are?”

He nodded.

“I’m in the medical building. The same room as last time. I don’t feel dizzy. I feel great, actually. Maybe just tired?”

“That's understandable. Well, now that I know you’re okay, I’ll leave you to sleep.” Lo said, picking up some of the belongings she’d brought. Bucky seemed to hesitate.

“Actually...do you think you could stay here?”

Lo looked up at him in surprise. She certainly wasn't expecting that. Bucky took a deep breath and continued, unable to meet her eyes.

“It’s stupid, but...I feel better knowing that you’re here. I, uh, don’t like hospitals or any medical centers, really. They remind me of Hydra. But I trust you, and I think I might sleep better if I know that you’re with me.”

His eyes were glued to his hands, fumbling with the blanket covering his legs. Lo couldn’t help but smile. He was rambling, like it embarrassed him to admit, but he couldn’t help but get it off his chest.

“Of course i’ll stay. Whatever you need," she said, quietly ecstatic that he wanted her there.

He breathed out a sigh of relief.

“Good...Thanks, Doll.”

She grabbed a sandwich that was sitting on one of the platters and offered it to him. He took it gratefully.

Lo sat back in her chair, fumbling with the device in her hands while he ate. It was still dark, the sun not yet risen. The room was only illuminated by the soft lights in the corridor and the machines around Bucky’s bed.

The silence was comfortable, which surprised her. Lo was the type of person who would ramble for hours about nonsense in order to fill an awkward silence. But with Bucky, she realised she didn’t feel the need. Silence was comfortable with him. She’d go so far as to say she even enjoyed it.

She waited until he finished the sandwich. Even offered him a few more. She didn’t let herself sleep until he had curled back up on the bed and started snoring softly.

~~~~

Neither of them woke again until late that morning.

Shuri came waltzing in, along with Cap and T’Challa. 

She took in Lo’s position on the arm chair, her clothes undoubtedly rumpled from sleep, and smiled slyly.

“Sergeant Barnes,” Shuri called, coming to stand by his bed. “How do you feel?”

“Good,” Bucky smiled, eyes still sleepy. “Better than I have in a long time.”

“That’s great, pal.” Cap said, clapping him on the shoulder.

“We can try the trigger test today, once he’s ready. But the scans look good, and everything looks clear," Lo piped up.

Bucky turned to smile at her, his eyes lingering on her face. She smiled back.

“Good work, Doctor,” T’Challa said. Shuri’s mouth dropped open, feigning shock.

“What about me?!”

“You didn’t stay overnight to check on him. You don’t get any praise.”

Shuri rolled her eyes and punched him in the shoulder jokingly. T’Challa laughed.

“Come on. Bucky and Lo, you should go eat and freshen up. We will meet again for the test, once you are both ready.”

Lo nodded, moving to unhook all of the wires attached to Bucky. He stood up easily, working out the stiffness from his joints. 

Lo had forgotten that he hadn’t been given a shirt since his surgery, and her eyes immediately drifted to his abs and the trail of hair on his stomach. She definitely blushed and averted her eyes before he caught her staring.

At least, she hoped he hadn’t caught her.

T’Challa turned and led the group out of the medical room. Shuri linked arms with Lo on the way to the elevator.

“We had breakfast made for the both of you. Bucky’s is in his room, but I took the liberty of having yours sent to my room, as well as some of your clothes, so you could get ready there.”

Lo shook her head and chuckled.

“Of course you did.”

They took the elevator down. Bucky was still noticeably shirtless, not that he seemed to care, but Lo certainly did. Hell, how could she not? Especially when fate had her walk behind him, forced to stare at his incredibly muscled back and act like she wasn't admiring the way his muscles constricted with every step. By now even Shuri had noticed her staring, and elbowed her pointedly with the arm that was still linked with hers.

They parted ways from the boys once they reached the palace. Bucky and Steve went to their respective rooms, while Shuri and Lo took the lift up to Shuri’s room on the top floor.

“You’re so obvious!” Shuri said, erupting into giggles the moment they were alone in the lift.

“What?!” Lo exclaimed, acting oblivious.

“You! You and Bucky! Oh my god, I felt like I was choking on the sexual tension the whole way back!”

Lo couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. It’s not like that.”

Shuri let out a growl in frustration.

“Look me in the eyes, right now, and tell me you don’t like him,” she said, pulling Lo by the shoulders until they were face to face.

Lo felt her face heat up.

“Um, I- Its-” she groaned, looking down at the floor. “It’s not that simple, okay? Sure, he's sweet and funny and _hot_ , but it doesn’t matter how I feel. He’s not ready for a relationship and it isn’t fair for me to try and push for anything when he’s finally starting to figure out who he is.”

“Did he say that, or did you just assume he wasn’t ready?”

Lo shot her a look of frustration.

“I mean it!” Shuri said, “You have no idea what he wants or how he feels until you ask him. Don’t assume anything yet.”

“Okay,” Lo said, giving in. “But seriously. It’s not that simple. He needs time to heal and figure himself out first. I don't want to make things harder for him.”

“Maybe you won't. Did you ever think that maybe he actually _needs_ someone to help him? Someone to be there and show him how to navigate the 21st century, as well as adjust to being his own person? Not just Hydras machine?”

“He has Steve…” Lo said, but it sounded weak, even to her own ears. Shuri gave her a look.

“The Captains great, but this is all new to him too. I really think Bucky needs someone like you.”

Lo sighed. She looked at Shuri, like _really_ looked at her. Once again, Lo was surprised by just how young she was.

“When did you get so wise, huh? I thought I was supposed to be the older and smarter one.”

Shuri let out a deep laugh.

“Yeah, right!”

The elevator doors opened and they walked to Shuris room.

“I mean it, though,” Shuri said, before they could enter her rooms. “You’d be good for him.”

Lo shook her head.

“It doesn’t matter. He doesn’t see me that way. And besides, he’s leaving tomorrow anyway.”

Shuri looked her in the eyes. After a moment, she relented, and they walked in.

“Alright.” she said, shutting the door behind them. “There's breakfast on the table for both of us. Your clothes and a spare towel are in the bathroom. It’s up to you what you want first.”

Lo smiled and headed to the shower.

~~~~

An hour later Lo was clean and full. 

They’d had a breakfast of fresh fruits and pancakes, Lo was pretty sure she moaned after the first bite.

One of the biggest things she’d miss once she left Wakanda was the seemingly endless supply of amazing fruits. It made her dread going home a little.

She didn’t even know where she was going after Bucky and Cap left. Lo had her home in England of course, with her parents, but for some reason...she didn't want to go back. She was yet to buy a house of her own. It seemed pointless, when so much of her job was travelling from country to country for a few months at a time. 

_Oh well,_ Lo thought. She’d figure it out later.

For now she and Shuri were dressed and ready to meet with the boys. They’d agreed on the lab again, deciding to meet at the palace doors before walking over together.

Shuri grabbed Lo’s arm and they left her room, locking the door and heading down the elevator.

It stopped with a soft ding on the ground floor, where T’Challa and the Dora Milaje were waiting with Bucky and Cap.

Bucky had a shirt on again. Lo couldn’t tell if she was disappointed, or grateful.

He smiled softly at her.

She reached up to brush a loose curl behind her ear.

“Ready?” Steve said. Lo nodded.

“Yes Sir,” Shuri mock saluted. “Let’s go see if we can break your friends _brain._ ”

Lo cringed slightly at her word choice, but Bucky chuckled and shook his head.

“You break it, you buy it. If my mind gets broken- I become your responsibility.”

“Ugh.” Shuri groaned. “Never mind. The last thing I want is to see your face in my lab _any_ longer than necessary.”

Bucky rolled his eyes but Lo giggled.

“Maybe he’ll play you more of his ‘favourite music’.” she joked. Shuri shivered.

“I think my ears are still ringing from that bass.”

They all laughed, even Cap, while T’Challa just shot his sister imploring looks.

“I’ll tell you later,” she promised, walking to the lab while they all followed.

~~~

They arrived a few minutes later, Bucky lying down on the medical table he was on earlier, while Steve chained him down.

It was strictly precautionary. They had to chain him in case the trigger words worked and activated the Winter Soldier, though Lo was highly doubtful that would happen. Either way, it still looked ridiculous to see one man covered in so many chains. Even if Lo knew that they were all necessary to keep him down. Actually, with his strength, they could still stand to use a few more.

“That should do it,” Cap said, once he had finished with Bucky’s chains. 

She looked at Bucky. He nodded.

T’Challa and Steve moved to hold him down while the Dora Milaje assumed their defensive positions. Lo took a deep breath and began reading the trigger words.

“Желание.” She began.

Bucky flinched, but it seemed to be out of reflex.

“Ржавый. Семнадцать.”

He didn’t move.

“Рассвет. Печь. Девять. Доброкачественный.”

Lo grew more and more confident with each word. None of them seemed to be having an effect on him.

“Возвращение на родину. Один, грузовой вагон.” She finished. 

Bucky lay still, breathing a little heavier on the table.

“ _Soldier?_ ” Lo asked in Russian.

There was a pause.

“It’s me,” Bucky answered.

Steve let out an audible sigh of relief.

“Thank God for that.”

“His scans look good,” Shuri grinned, “No stresses or abnormal activity. It looks like every last piece of Hydra’s programming is gone.”

“You’re your own person now, Bucky. No one can control you anymore.” Lo smiled. It felt so good just to say those words.

Bucky sniffed, and she realised in surprise that he was getting choked up.

Steve moved to undo his chains quickly and pulled his best friend into a bone crushing hug.

“It worked,” Bucky choked into Steve’s shoulder. “I’m not him anymore.”

“You’re not him,” Steve confirmed. “You never have to be him again.”

Something inside Bucky cracked at the statement, and he let loose what must have been decades worth of pain and emotions.

Lo felt her own eyes well up with tears at the sight of Bucky sobbing into Steve's embrace. Shuri ran a comforting hand down her back.

“You did this,” Shuri said.

Lo shook her head.

“ _We_ did this.” She corrected, pulling her friend into a hug.

A few minutes later they pulled apart. Lo wiped a few stray tears from her eyes, suddenly grateful she had decided against wearing mascara.

Steve let go of Bucky and gave him a reassuring clap on the back.

Bucky’s eyes, red from the tears, met Shuri’s before landing on Lo’s.

“Thank you,” he said, voice slightly raw.

Lo shook her head.

“Don’t. I’m glad I did it.” she smiled.

They just looked at each other for a moment, before Shuri broke the silence.

“I’ll send you my bill.” she joked, breaking some of the seriousness. Bucky chuckled.

“Send it to Steve, he can handle it.”

“What?!” Cap joked.

“You owe me for always saving your ass back in the day.”

Steve shook his head. 

“Jerk.”

“Punk” 

Lo grinned, rolling her eyes at their antics.

“Alright alright,” Shuri said, “Shut up and get out of my lab. Dr. Haynes and I still have a shield to make.”

 _Ugh_ , Lo groaned internally. She had almost forgotten about Cap’s broken shield.

T’Challa chuckled. 

“We’ll leave you to it,” he said, leaving with the Dora Milaje while Steve and Bucky stayed behind.

“I mean it,” Shuri joked, looking at the two men who had refused to leave. “We have to get this shield finished before Nat and Clint come back. So if you boys want to stay in my lab, you’ll have to be quiet. No fighting.”

Steve laughed, holding his hands up in surrender.

“Yes ma’am.”

Lo sat down at one of the screens, pulling out the design for Steve's shield and grabbing some tools. Shuri set up beside her and started playing around with some of the back panels of the shield.

Bucky grabbed a chair and sat down beside Lo, with Steve on his other side.

Lo looked up at the Captain, a grin spreading across her face.

“So Cap,” Lo began, “how do you feel about a new paint job on the shield?”

“What do you mean?”

Lo looked at Bucky, who returned her smile. She pulled up the skull and crossbones design on one of the other screens.

Steve's jaw dropped in what had to be surprise mixed with disappointment. 

“I like it.” Bucky commented.

“Of course you do,” Steve rolled his eyes.

Lo laughed and moved the design from the large screen and onto a data pad. She handed it over to Steve.

“Here, play around. See what you can make up.”

Steve immediately got interested, touching all the buttons and colouring his fake shield.

Lo giggled, feeling slightly guilty. It was like giving a colouring book to a toddler, but it was the only way she knew to keep them occupied so she and Shuri could focus on work.

~~~~

It was effective. Shuri and Lo managed to get through about 80% of the shield's design before either of the boys spoke up again.

“Hey Doc?” Bucky asked.

Lo hummed in response. 

“Yesterday- you said you learned to speak Russian because you travelled for work. What work do you do? Can you speak other languages as well?”

Lo put down some of the tools she was working with.

“I do medicine and innovation, like prosthetics, as you already know.” she began. “So as part of my job I go to a lot of war torn countries and work with veterans and victims who need medical care, especially people who have lost limbs because of conflict. I worked in Russia for 8 months, spent some time in Afghanistan and Syria, travelled a lot through Europe while I was a student. I can speak Arabic, French, Italian, Spanish, Romanian, and German. I started working on my Mandarin recently, but it’s not very good.”

“ _Damn girl_ , I didn’t realise you knew that many languages!” Shuri exclaimed.

Lo laughed and shrugged her shoulders.

“It’s one of those things that just comes naturally to me- like science. It makes sense, and my brain remembers it. Plus, I was staying with locals for most of my trips, and few of them spoke English, so I kind of had no choice but to learn fast.”

Steve and Bucky had similar expressions of surprise on their faces.

“So you just travel the world, go to countries at war, and help whoever needs it?” Steve asked.

“Pretty much,” she grinned. 

"Sounds like someone I know," Bucky said, looking at Steve pointedly. The other man ignored him.

“That explains the amputation surgery in the middle of a war zone.” Cap scoffed, something between awe and concern in his tone.

“The _what?!_ ” Bucky exclaimed, almost falling off his chair.

Oh right, he was unconscious for that part.

Lo chose to ignore him.

“I even spent a bit of time working in Stark Industries. Tony tried to offer me a full time job, but I turned it down.”

“You turned down Tony Stark?!” Cap exclaimed.

“Yeah,” Lo laughed. “He wanted me to work in robotics, even offered a very generous salary but… I don’t know. At the time I wanted to travel and go to the people who needed me most. Staying inside an office all day didn’t seem like the right move.”

Cap let out a low whistle.

“I can’t believe he let you walk away.”

Shuri chuckled. 

“Trust me, I don’t think he could have stopped her. He may be Iron Man, but I haven’t seen a single person be able to stop Lo once she’s set her mind on something.”

Lo grinned at her.

Bucky’s face contorted in thought.

“You said ‘at the time’ you wanted to travel. Has that changed?”

Lo hesitated. She hadn't even noticed the little slip. 

“Well, no, I-...I still want to help people. And I used to think that the only way for me to do that was to go where people needed me. But after being here, working with this technology... I've started to wonder if there's a way for me to help others that doesn’t involve going to war on my own. Maybe there's a better way for me to still do my job, but help even more people and at a lot less risk.”

Shuri bit her lip.

“It’s definitely possible. When you do things from a lab you have all kinds of resources at your fingertips. If you were working in prosthetics, someone like Stark could easily give you the money to ship out all kinds of pieces to people who need them. You could help way more people than you would going overseas and working on victims one by one.”

“Exactly,” Lo sighed. “It’s difficult though. As much as I love medicine and design, I also love field work. It’s more rewarding when you get to see the results of your work in person, you know?”

“True,” Shuri shrugged.

“Either way, it’s unimportant,” Lo said, after a moment. “Right now we have a shield to work on. Cap, what have you got?”

Lo gestured for the data pad that Cap had been playing on. He handed it back to her with a faint blush on his cheeks.

Lo laughed out loud at the design.

“What is it?!” Shuri exclaimed, leaning over Lo’s shoulder to see what Cap had drawn on the front of his prototype shield.

“Oh my god,” she giggled.

Cap had shown off his artistic abilities by drawing what was clearly Bucky and himself in the middle of the shield, but they had swapped suits. Bucky was wearing the Captain America uniform while Steve was in all black and had a knife and a metal arm.

“You’re quite the artist, Cap,” Lo grinned, sliding the data pad so Bucky could see.

“He used to draw stuff like this all the time when we were kids.” Bucky chuckled. “It got us into trouble at school, cause he’d always draw mean ones of the teachers. I remember getting the ruler at least once a week cause of this punk.”

“The ruler?” Shuri asked, not understanding.

“Corporal punishment was pretty normal back then. If kids misbehaved in class, the teacher would slap 'em on the palm with a huge wooden ruler. I remember my hands would be red for _days_ afterwards,” Bucky answered, shaking his head with a chuckle.

“I forgot about that,” Steve said, looking at his friend in awe.

Bucky smiled.

“I started remembering little things once I escaped Hydra. But after my programming got removed, it’s like everything’s finally coming back to me. Like school and my family, even stuff that happened after the war when I got captured by Hydra. Stuff like the Red Room.”

“The Red Room?” Steve asked, confused. “Isn’t that where Nat-”

“Yeah,” Bucky chuckled. “Turns out we have history.”

“You have history with the Black Widow?” Shuri asked, shocked.

“Yeah. I trained her, before she became the Widow. We had something, like a connection. But the leaders found out about it and Hydra took me away. Wiped my memory of the entire thing.”

“That explains why she said she’d tried to find you in the past.” Steve said.

“Yeah. I should probably talk to her about it, now that I remember.” Bucky said, shaking his head to clear his thoughts.

“Damn,” Shuri said. “I think i'm jealous of you. Nat’s totally my WCW.”

Bucky looked at her like he had no idea what the hell she just said. Which, Lo supposed, he probably didn’t. She laughed.

“That’s fair. Nat's the hottest Avenger, hands down. No offence, Cap.”

Steve shook his head, apparently recovering from his momentary surprise.

“None taken. I think.”

Shuri laughed at his adorably confused expression. She picked up her tools again.

“So Cap, we going with your design, or the original?”

“The original,” Steve laughed. “Definitely the original. Keep the one of Bucky and I for a rainy day.”

“You’re the boss,” Lo winked, grabbing her tools once more and setting to work as Shuri did.

They sat in silence for a few moments, the sounds of machines whirring and welding filling the air.

After a while Bucky spoke,

“What the hell is WCW?”

~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have I ever told you guys just how much I love Bucky? seriously, it's insane.  
> I really wanted to reference Nat and the red room, but I should tell you guys that Bucky and Nat's history isn't going to be a big part of this story. So it'll pop up every now and then, but at this stage I wont be focusing on it all that much.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you guys liked this chapter, i'm currently swarmed with exams so I haven't been able to do as much writing as i'd hoped. As always, let me know what you guys think in the comments!


	6. Playfights, Sunsets, and a Heart to Heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter six! I have a feeling you guys are gonna like this one (or I hope, at least).  
> Also- notice the change in rating? hehehe. Its nothing major, but things are finally happening. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

After laughing at Bucky's confused face, Shuri had eventually explained what a WCW was. Bucky's face twisted in surprise, and Lo was reminded, once again, that he was born in a completely different era. 

_“Can you blame us?”_ Lo had asked, referring to her semi crush on the Black Widow.  
_“No-no, uh-"_ Bucky's ears tinged red, _"She’s a beautiful woman, of course. Um- not that I would be interested, anymore."_  
_"Really?"_ Lo had asked in surprise. Although quietly, she was happy. She was a little worried that, after remembering her, Bucky would want to try again with Natasha. Which he could, of course, but Lo couldn't help but feel...upset, at the thought of that.  
_"What happened between Natalia and I is in the past.”_ he assured, and his blue eyes seemed to linger on Lo.

They had stopped talking about Natasha after that. 

Lo and Shuri continued hammering away at the shield. And, after a few hours, it was done.

Shuri held the finished shield up to the light, the red rings shined under the harsh lights of the lab.

Steve grinned.

“Try it on for size, Captain,” Shuri said, holding out the shield.

He grabbed it and placed it on his arm, gauging the weight.

“It’s perfect,” he said, still smiling.

There was a sudden crack, and Lo realised a few moments later that Bucky had swung his metal fist at Cap.

Cap blocked it with the shield, and the impact of vibranium meeting vibranium resounded through the air.

She was surprised Cap even had the chance to block, Bucky’s arm seemed to move faster than her eyes could see.

Bucky grinned at Steve over the rim of the shield, his fist still locked on the middle star.

“It’ll do,” Bucky joked.

“Ah ah ah,” Shuri interrupted, shooing them with her hands. “Take the play fighting outside before you break something important.”

Steve lifted his brows at Bucky in question. The other man nodded.

They took off out the doors of the lab to the training ground they were sparring in the previous day.

Shuri rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath.

 _“Thank you, Shuri.”_ She said sarcastically. Lo laughed at her.

She grabbed Shuri's arm and pulled her in the direction of the boys.

“Come on,” she said, “This ought to be good.”

~~~~

By the time they’d arrived, Cap and Bucky were already engaged in what looked to be a pretty physical fight. 

Bucky currently had Cap on the ground, he was straddling him and aiming punches at his face and chest. Steve flipped, rolling Bucky onto the floor and jumping off him to retrieve his shield, where it lay abandoned nearby.

Bucky was back up and ready by the time Cap returned with his shield. They engaged in a complicated series of punches and kicks, artfully dodging any attacks the other person made.

It was refreshing watching them spar so intensely. Even if Lo was internally cringing with worry that one of them would get hurt. 

The fight looked so different to yesterday. It appeared Cap had finally let go, no longer afraid of triggering the Winter Soldier. He attacked with purpose, no fear. Lo was slightly in awe.

Shuri called out to them once they stopped to catch a breath.

“Remember Barnes, i’ll be waiting here when you’re ready for a real fight.”

Bucky grinned at her, easy and confident and happy. Happier than Lo had ever seen him. It looked like he was finally comfortable- not afraid of himself, like he was before. It brought a smile to her face.

“You think you could handle it?” Bucky replied.

Shuri beamed. 

“You know it.”

“Alright then,” he said, Lo could practically see the smugness rolling off him in waves. “Let’s see what you got."

“Really?!” Shuri exclaimed, as if surprised that he would actually agree. 

TO be honest, even Lo was a little surprised. She had no doubt Shuri could handle herself, and Bucky would go easy on her, but it was still a trained assassin fighting a 17 year old princess.

Bucky chuckled at Shuri, nodding. Steve interjected.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea, Buck? If you hurt her, T’Challa will kill you.”

But Shuri was already running back to her lab to retrieve her weapons. Bucky shrugged. 

“I won’t go too hard on her. I just want to give her the chance to prove herself. Kid's got fight- reminds me of someone,” he said, looking at Steve pointedly. Cap pursed his lips in thought, but eventually relented.

“Alright. Just remember what I said, if she gets hurt that’s on you.”

Bucky smirked. Shuri came running back, squealing.

She had blasters on each of her hands, fitted to look like panther heads.

“Oh _jeez_ , here we go.” Lo laughed. 

Seeing Shuri so excited had eased her mind a little. She trusted Bucky would be careful. And actually, after seeing Shuri's blasters, she wondered if maybe she was worried about the wrong person.

Shuri approached both men, grinning. 

“Alright, show me what you got-” Bucky said, but Shuri cut him off by firing him with a blaster so powerful he was sent flying 10 feet through the air.

Lo’s jaw dropped. As did Cap’s.

 _Yeah_ , she was definitely worried about the wrong person.

Bucky stood back up, wincing slightly. He brushed his hair from his face.

“So much for playing nice,” he smirked.

Bucky ran at Shuri, grinning as he leapt into the air and landed in the spot she was standing, with his metal fist plunged into the ground. She’d moved at the last second, narrowly dodging his attack, and was now on his left firing blasts towards him.

Bucky ducked and swerved to avoid the blasts of blue energy.

Okoye came running out of the palace with several other guards, their spears held over their heads, prepared to attack.

“What the hell is going on?!” Okoye shouted. Lo immediately held her hands up to calm the guards.

“It’s just training! Shuri wanted to show off her weapons, and Bucky volunteered. No one's hurt!”

Okoye breathed out a sigh of relief, immediately lowering her weapon. She moved to stand next to Lo, taking in the fight.

Bucky had Shuri on the defense. He was throwing punch after punch towards her, forcing her to stop her attacks and focus entirely on avoiding his blows. 

Lo could see that he was holding back, obviously not using his full strength or speed, but it was still enough to keep Shuri running to avoid his hits.

Shuri had managed to spin away from Bucky, stepping behind him and firing a few blasts at his metal shoulder.

“Hey!” Lo called, “Watch it! If you break that arm, i’m not making any new ones!”

Shuri laughed, despite the intensity of her fight.

“She’s good,” Okoye admitted, her eyes not leaving Shuri.

T’Challa emerged from the palace with the rest of the Dora Milaje, apparently having heard the commotion.

“Your highness,” Steve acknowledged.

“Why is my sister attacking Sergeant Barnes?” T’Challa asked.

Steve shrugged.

“She wanted to prove herself. I told Bucky it would be his head if she got hurt.”

“Good,” the King smirked, “but it is not her I am worried about. Shuri fights dirty. It’s Bucky i'm concerned about.”

To prove his point, Shuri dropped to the ground behind Bucky and punched hard at the back of his knee.

He immediately stumbled, his knee buckling under him so he landed in a lunge.

“Hey!” Bucky called, outraged.

Until this point they had been fighting strictly above the belt. Shuri had just broken that unspoken rule.

Shuri cackled. Beside Lo, T’Challa shook his head.

“I see what you mean,” Steve chuckled.

Bucky spun, his metal hand latching on to one of Shuri’s blasters, while his other arm grabbed hers and pulled her into a strong hold.

She fired the blaster that was currently being held by Bucky’s metal hand. He grinned when it simply bounced off, the metal unaffected by her blast.

He squeezed, breaking her weapon into pieces. Shuri gasped.

With only one blaster left, the fight was declared over, with Bucky the winner.

“Better luck next time, _Princess._ ” He teased.

She swatted at him with her now bare hand, but he simply chuckled and walked away.

“Dammit Barnes!” Shuri shouted, picking up the remains of her shattered blaster. He shot her a grin over his shoulder.

“Impressive,” Lo smiled, as Bucky approached. His eyes held hers for a moment, and she felt her breath catch in her throat.

He winked at her, before dropping down to whisper in her ear as he walked past.

“I’m _very_ impressive,” he said.

Lo’s jaw dropped in surprise. Her whole brain short wired.

_Was...was that a euphemism?!_

She spun around to look at him. He was smirking at her over his shoulder. It was that same smirk that was in all of his photos from before the war.

 _Bucky Barnes just made a sex joke_. Lo thought she might explode.

“I’ll send a message to Nat and Clint and let them know that you are ready,” T’Challa said, breaking Lo’s intense eye contact with Bucky. Steve nodded towards the King.

“We can leave in the morning, as soon as they get here. The sooner we get back to New York, the sooner we can figure out who’s been leaking information to Hydra and track them down.”

 _Right. They were leaving._ Lo felt herself sigh. 

No matter how much time went by, it seemed Hydra were hell bent on wrecking havoc and destroying Cap and Bucky’s lives.

T’Challa nodded.

“Until then, we should celebrate your last night in Wakanda. I’ll have dinner prepared for us. Doctor,” the King said, addressing her directly, “you are more than welcome to join us.”

Lo smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

“Thank you,” she said.

T’Challa turned and walked back to the palace, along with the Dora Milaje, until it was just Cap, Shuri, Bucky and Lo left outside.

“I’d say the shield was a success,” Shuri smiled, gesturing to Cap’s new shield.

“It’s perfect.”

“I hope it will serve you well,” Shuri nodded.

A tense silence fell over the group. As if they too were realising that Cap and Bucky would be leaving in the morning, to go and fight Hydra, while Shuri and Lo would be left behind.

Lo felt emotion sting at the back of her throat.

It was strange, but in the few short days she’d known them, Cap and Bucky had become some of her closest friends. She’d gotten used to hanging out with them in the lab, spending most of her days with either of them by her side.

She was going to miss them.

“I’m sure it will,” Cap said, in a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “After all, it was made by the two smartest women on earth.”

Lo laughed, loud and earnest. 

“You’re damn right. But if I hear any stories that either of you have somehow broken our creations, I swear to god I'll fly to New York myself and kill you both myself.”

Both men chuckled.

“Fair enough,” Bucky said.

The group lapsed into silence for a moment.

“Well. I have to go and fix my blaster that _someone,_ ” Shuri said, staring pointedly at Bucky, “broke. So...i’ll see you all at dinner?”

“Sounds good, Shuri.” Steve nodded. 

Shuri kicked the remaining blaster pieces in the dirt and headed back to the lab. Steve turned to look at Lo and Bucky.

“I’m gonna head back to the palace and freshen up. You coming Buck?”

Bucky hesitated, and Lo’s eyes met his.

“Actually, I think i’m gonna stay outside for a bit,” he answered.

Steve’s eyes brushed over the two of them, stood slightly too close together. He smiled.

“Alright.”

Bucky turned to Lo, once Steve had entered the palace and was fully out of hearing range. Which, with his superhuman hearing, was a lot farther than you'd think.

“You wanna take a walk with me, Doll?” Bucky said, extending his metal arm for her to hold.

Lo couldn’t help but blush.

“Oh, yeah, why not.”

~~~~

They didn’t seem to have a destination in mind. Bucky just led them around the palace and down towards the fields where W’Kabi was tending to the rhinos.

They stopped and settled on top of a hill that overlooked the farms. You could just see the sun peaking over the horizon, painting the skies with red and orange streaks. It was beautiful.

Lo closed her eyes and let the sun warm her face.

“I love this place,” Bucky suddenly said, breaking their silence.

“It’s beautiful, huh?”

“Yeah,” he said, turning to look at her. “It’s so different from anything i’ve ever seen before. I grew up in the cities. I’ve seen the winters in Russia and the summers in Europe. But i’ve never seen anything that comes close to a sunset in Wakanda.”

Lo chuckled.

“I think you could spend a whole lifetime looking, but you’ll never find anywhere else in the world quite like Wakanda. I’ve been all over East and Central Africa. Nothing compares to this.”

“Really?” He asked. Lo smiled and nodded.

“For work?” he prompted.

“Yeah. A lot of third world countries are still dealing with corruption. I spent some time traveling through Africa, before I was interested in prosthetics, just acting as a general practitioner and treating whoever needed it.”

She looked down at the grass below her hands, picking at a few loose strands.

“It’s how I met Shuri. She saw the work I was doing, trying to help in places like Sudan, and she wanted to help. We became friends pretty much instantly.”

Bucky smiled.

“Steve and I were like that too. I remember the first time I met him, some kids were trying to steal his lunch money so I kicked their asses. We were pretty inseparable after that.”

Lo laughed, but Bucky went quiet for a moment. When she looked over, his brows were scrunched up in thought.

“I didn’t remember that until I woke up this morning. I wanted to say thank you, again. Without you I would’ve lost all of these memories.”

Lo shook her head.

“I’ve told you before. You don’t have to thank me- I want to help you,” she said, and she knew that she meant it with every fibre of her being.

“You’re too kind,” he said suddenly. 

His eyes locked on hers and his tone took on a deadly seriousness. 

Lo shivered.

“And sweet. And genuine. You’re a good person, Lo. Far too good to me.”

“I'm not,” Lo said, shaking her head adamantly. “I’m just- I...I do what I have to do. There’s so much work that needs to be done in this world, I figure why shouldn’t I be the one to do it, you know?”

She felt her heart pound in her chest. She had no idea why she was getting so worked up about this. Maybe it was because she didn't like the idea of being 'too good'. It set unrealistic expectations about her. She wasn't too good. If Bucky knew the things she'd done in her life, he'd see that too. 

And yet, despite all her protests, his eyes met hers and he smiled at her in a way that made her heart pound even harder. He leaned in.

“That’s exactly _why_ you’re such a good person. You don't do anything for personal gain, you don’t think you’re too good for anything. Most of the dames I knew talked about how much they cared, but they were too scared to ruin their nails to actually do any dirty work. None of that bothers you. You just see something that needs saving, and you go ahead and save it...Even if it doesn’t deserve saving.”

His eyes drifted down to his metal arm. Lo had the sudden feeling that they weren’t talking about her anymore.

“You deserve saving, Bucky.” She said, reaching over to grab his hand that was closest to her. Her fingers wrapped around warm metal.

She was so distraught that he could even believe such a thing, her throat closed up with emotion.

“I don’t,” he said bitterly. “Not after the things i’ve done.”

“We've all done things we weren't proud of, Bucky. The difference is, the things that you did- they weren't you,” She said, trying her hardest to convince him. “Don’t blame yourself for things that were out of your control.” 

He shook his head, his long hair falling in front of his face to hide his expression. She had to fight down the urge to brush it away so she could see his face.

“I’m _trying_ ,” he said. His throat was so tight with emotion that his voice cracked. “It’s hard. My whole life i've blamed myself for every bad thing Hydra ever did to me. I convinced myself I deserved it. When Tony found out I killed his parents and tried to kill me, I didn’t even want to stop him.”

Lo gasped, tightening her grip on his metal hand, like she was trying desperately to hold him together. He looked at her small hand in his.

“I hated myself. For a long, long time. And sometimes I still do. It's difficult, you know, to come to terms with the things i've done. I was so terrified of hurting anyone that I refused to let anyone get close to me. But...it’s been different, since I met you.” he paused, as if debating whether or not to continue. 

“You-" he stopped, clearing his throat. "I trust you. You're good. You make me want to be a better person. Not just the monster the world, and even I, thought I was.”

“Bucky…” she said, unable to take her eyes off his face.

There was so much _pain_ in his eyes, Lo felt her heart breaking for him. He had spent so many years suffering at the hands of others. All she wanted to do was hold him- to take away his pain in anyway she could.

Something in her eyes seemed to give him the courage he needed, and he continued.

“I thought I deserved to suffer, but then I met you, and I made you smile. The first time we met, you said something funny and you smiled at me. You didn’t run away like everyone else does when they meet me. You weren’t scared. You treated me like a person, not some time bomb just waiting to explode," he chuckled miserably. "I figured, hell, I can’t be that bad if I can make a woman like you smile. Even just for a second.”

 _Oh my god,_ Lo thought. Her heart felt like it was damn near shattering, right in her chest.

The sincerity in his voice completely took her breath away. Nobody had ever said something like that to her. Ever. Not with the same intensity as Bucky.

Somehow, it only made whatever feelings she had for him bloom even stronger. It was like something changed inside her. She realised, with her whole being, that she would do anything and everything in her power to make him happy.

Lo took in Bucky's long form, hunched in on himself beside her. Like he was hiding, waiting for her to lash out at him for being so honest.

She couldn’t help it. She sobbed, reaching over and pulling him into a bone crushing hug.

Lo tucked his face into her neck and nuzzled into his long hair.

“No one deserves to suffer, Bucky. _Especially_ not you. You’re a person, who experienced horrible, horrible things. But that doesn’t make you any less human. Not to me.”

His arms wrapped around her slowly, carefully, as if he was worried he might break her.

When she didn’t move away, he clutched her tighter.

“I-I’m not a good person, Lo. But I think that, being around you, it makes me want to be better. I want to be the person you think I am,” he said, pulling away from her embrace. “When i’m around you, and I do something stupid that makes you laugh, I feel...happy. I want to do even more stupid things, _anything_ , just to hear you laugh again..."

He cleared his throat, as if steeling himself.

"Im gonna be honest with you, Doll. I haven’t felt like that in a long time. Not even with Natasha. There’s just something about you."

Lo huffed, shaking her head in disbelief. Fresh tears spilled onto her cheeks. She couldn’t help it, none of this felt real.

Bucky's eyes bore into hers with such intensity that she felt her face heat up.

“See? Even that- the way you blush, it’s fucking adorable," he smiled.

His hand moved to cradle her face, thumb brushing high across her cheek. She leaned into his palm.

“And your accent,” he continued, apparently unable to stop now that he’d started.

“I love the way you say my name. You say it like it’s special, like i'm not just some machine. It makes me feel like the old me. Even when you call me weird nicknames.”

She huffed a laugh, slightly breathless.

“Buckaroo isn’t _that_ weird,” she defended. He just gave her a look that said he clearly thought otherwise.

She rolled her eyes. 

“Alright, maybe it is weird. But Bucky is a little weird too.”

He smiled at her again.

“You can call me James, if you like.”

“What about James-y? Or Jamie boy?” she giggled.

He sighed dramatically and flopped back onto the grass.

“Nevermind. I think I preferred Buckaroo.”

She leaned back to lay down next to him. Her hand was still linked with his metal one.

“I’m only kidding. I like Bucky. And James. I like all your names.” 

She turned to look at him. 

His hair fanned out like a halo around his head, tangled up in the long grass. The sun shined on his face in a warm gold. It made his blue eyes glow.

He looked almost ethereal. And he had just poured his hear out to her. She still couldn't believe it.

“Do you know why I smiled at you? The first time we met, when you said I said something funny and then I smiled?”

He nodded, signalling for her to continue.

“I smiled because I said something that made you laugh, and I remember thinking _‘wow, this guy is gorgeous’_. It wasn’t even a real laugh, barely a chuckle. But I felt so proud of myself for making you smile that I didn’t even care.”

She inhaled, suddenly nervous.

“I smiled because of you. Because you make me smile, without even trying. Just by being yourself.”

His eyes met hers. They were clear and blue and filled with so much shock. Like he didn’t believe her. Couldn’t believe that she would ever like someone like him.

He started shaking his head, slightly at first, then adamantly. Like he was trying to convince her she was wrong.

“You’re a good person, Lo. Too good for me. I don’t deserve you.”

“You do,” she said, with as much certainty as she could muster in that moment. “You do.”

And then she did something unexpected. Something she never thought she would ever do.

She leaned over and kissed him.

Her hands went to cradle either side of his face and she planted her lips on his.

He froze underneath her.

Lo had a second of panic, wondering if she had gone too far. But then his lips parted suddenly against hers, and his arms circled around her waist, pulling her on top of him with ease.

She landed on his firm chest, her legs between his.

Lo yelped into his mouth, surprised by the sudden change in position, before her hands left his jaw to tangle in his hair.

He kissed her deeply and passionately, like she was the oxygen he needed to breathe. It was the kind of kiss that left you dizzy and breathless afterwards.

She ran her tongue along his bottom lip, biting it gently when he opened his mouth wider.

He groaned, tightening his hold on her waist and pulling her so tight she couldn’t tell where her body ended and his began.

They pulled apart for air. Lo was practically panting on top of him.

He huffed out a laugh. Lo felt his chest shake under her.

“What is it?” she said, looking at his eyes filled with mirth. They crinkled at the corners when he was happy. It was a small little detail that made her heart swoon.

“Steve said this would happen.”

“What? That we’d make out in a field?” she joked, confused.

Bucky shook his head, still chuckling slightly beneath her.

“He told me to watch myself, to not get involved with you. I didn’t pay him much attention, cause I didn’t think I was good enough for you. But I guess I just proved him right.”

“Steve told you to stay away from me?” She said, screwing up her face. She remembered Shuri saying something similar, when they’d first met. But she’d changed her mind since then.

“It was a while ago,” he said. “Remember that time we were in the lab, working on the implant? And Steve and I left to go get some food? He basically gave me a talking to on the way to the palace. I think he was worried about you- he didn’t want me to mess with your feelings.”

Lo put her hands on his chest so she could look at him properly.

“Tell Cap that I appreciate the concern, but he doesn’t need to look out for me. I can handle myself.”

“Can you?” he challenged. “Even around someone like me?”

There was a teasing tone to his voice, but Lo could see the lingering uncertainty in his eyes. He was worried Steve was right. That he was bad for her.

“Especially around you,” she said. 

To prove her point, she reached down and tickled his ribs. 

He jerked reflexively and she jumped up, running away from him squealing in laughter.

He grunted, rushing to stand up and chase her.

She didn’t make it more than five steps before his arms wrapped tight around her waist and he pulled her up into the air.

She was still laughing as he turned and spun her around in circles. Her hair was a wild mess around her face by the time he set her back onto the ground.

She huffed, giggling and breathless while he just smirked.

“See? I’m more than capable of taking care of myself,” she joked.

“You call that taking care of yourself?” He shook his head, looking at her like she was crazy. “I’m sorry to break it to you, sweetheart, but I think I won that round.”

“Ah but see, that’s where you’re wrong.” She grinned, reaching out to link her fingers with his. “I always win.”

“Nah, Doll," he continued to tease her, "there's a difference between winning, and just refusing to admit defeat.”

He squeezed her palm in his.

“Nope. I definitely won.” she sang, swinging their linked hands pointedly.

He rolled his eyes and chuckled at her.

She liked the feel of his hand in hers. Despite all the butterflies it gave her, his hand was still warm and strong. It felt like security. 

She looked up at his face, eyes lingering over his features.

His blue eyes met her dark ones and he smiled. Soft and sweet. 

She realised it was a smile he reserved only for her.

“We should probably head back, before it gets too dark,” he said, voice dropping an octave. It made her insides feel all tingly.

“Probably,” she smiled. “Steve will be wondering where we are. We already missed dinner.”

He hesitated, deliberating, before pulling her in towards him once more.

His lips met hers and she grinned, melting into his kiss.

They stood there kissing for minutes, neither one wanting to leave. Lo ran her other hand over his stubbled cheek. Bucky finally pulled apart.

“He won’t care. But we should really leave, now. Before I change my mind and keep you here all night.”

She giggled at him, following his lead and walking back towards the palace. Their interlocked hands were a comforting warmth at her side.

Lo wondered if it would really be such a bad thing, them staying on the hill all night. 

She could lay in Bucky’s arms and forget the world for a while. Ignore the questions that would undoubtedly plague her mind once she was alone. Questions like _what now?_ And _what does this mean?_

On the hill, she could forget all about Hydra and her job and the future. 

She could pretend like Bucky wasn’t leaving in the morning. 

~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They kissed!!! About damn time, too.  
> I spent a long time writing and re-writing this chapter, so please let me know how you guys feel about it in the comments. We still have a long way to go, and i hope you guys are as excited for it as i am!
> 
> So far i'm keeping to a chapter a week, but once exams and stuff are over and i can actually get back to writing, i'll see if i can increase that :)


	7. You Start In Two Days

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 7! Big changes coming this way! hope you all enjoy <3

Bucky held Lo's hand the whole way back to the palace. His warm metal fingers intertwined with her own, squeezing every few steps as if to remind himself that she was still there. That this was all real. Lo mirrored his disbelief, returning every squeeze of his hand with equal enthusiasm.

By the time they arrived it was practically dark. The moon was creeping across the sky slowly, and without all the pollution of the city, the stars lit up the sky like a Christmas tree. Lo felt dread seep into her stomach the closer they got to the palace. Not only was she not ready for this night to be over, but she realised she would have to face an onslaught from Shuri for missing dinner.

As if sensing her change in mood, Bucky started talking again. Whether it was to get her out of her solemn mood, or just to get to know her better, Lo wasn't sure. Either way, they talked about everything. Bucky opened up about some of his new memories; the good ones and the bad, and Lo told him about her life growing up in England. 

He asked her what her hometown was like, and if she had any siblings. She said she didn’t, but she’d always wanted a younger brother or sister. Her town was small, and there weren’t many kids her age, so it got quite lonely. She asked if he had any siblings.

“I was the oldest of four,” he said, but his eyes looked far away. “I was closest with my sister Rebecca, but she’s probably gone by now.”

She’d squeezed his hand extra hard then. 

“Maybe not. We could check, if you wanted to,” she said, trying to make him feel better, but not wanting to force him into anything.

Bucky just shook his head and changed the subject. 

They talked about less serious things after that. Like what his favourite parts of the future were. He told her horror stories about the food they used to serve back in the army, and how much better it was now. That led to stories of the Commandos, and all the crazy things they got up to in between fights. He had her in fits of laughter most of the time, and she treasured the way his eyes crinkled when he made her laugh.

Her heart felt so full, holding his hand and laughing with him. It was like something out of a romance movie.

He even walked her all the way back to her room, like a true gentleman. 

She considered inviting him in. Lo definitely wanted to spend more time with him, but she didn't think it was a good idea, considering he was leaving her the next morning. 

Besides, she wasn't so sure she'd be able to keep her hands to herself after that kiss. And she wasn't sure if Bucky was ready for that yet. Or if she'd be able to let him go the next morning if something did happen.

Bucky leaned on her door frame and placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles before dropping her hand. It already felt too cold without the warmth of his.

“Are you coming to say goodbye in the morning?” he asked.

 _Right. You’re leaving,_ Lo reminded herself again.

“Of course. My two favourite hundred year old men are leaving. I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” she smiled softly.

He chuckled at her. 

“Alright. Good night, Doll,” he said, leaning over to plant a soft kiss on her cheek.

She blushed when he stepped back. 

“Night, James.”

He winked at her and walked away. She had to bite down the urge to call after him and tell him to stay.

Instead she shut the door behind him, walked over to her bedroom and threw herself on the bed. And screamed into the pillow.

 _I’m doomed,_ she realised. _Completely doomed. I’m crushing hard on a hundred year old ex-brainwashed assassin. And he’s leaving tomorrow._

Lo screamed even harder. 

But even amongst all her frustration over _feelings_ , she knew she didn’t regret kissing him. Not at all. She’d do it again a hundred more times if she could.

The memory of his lips on hers, his arms wrapped around her waist. It made her feel all fuzzy inside.

There was a loud thump at her door. Lo froze.

“LOLITA HAYNES YOU BETTER OPEN THIS DOOR AND TELL ME WHY I JUST SPENT THE WEIRDEST DINNER OF MY LIFE WITH T’CHALLA AND STEVE WHILE YOU AND BUCKY WERE _MYSTERIOUSLY ABSENT-_ ” Shuri shouted from outside her door.

Lo leapt up from her bed and ran to open it. Shuri stood on the other side looking wild. Her face split into a shit eating grin when she took in Lo’s disheveled appearance.

“What happened?!” She shouted. Lo grabbed her hand and yanked her into the room before anyone heard her yelling.

“Shhh!” Lo scolded, unable to stop herself from laughing.

“Don’t shh me! I almost put out a search party when I couldn’t find you! I only stopped when Cap said he saw you and Bucky leave for a walk- but that was hours ago! What happened? I need details!”

Lo grinned, pulling Shuri by the hand so they could go and sit on her bed. She thought about playing coy and not telling, but she knew Shuri wouldn’t take no for an answer. Plus, the more she thought about it, the more she realised she actually _wanted_ to talk. 

“Well..” Lo chuckled, sitting next to Shuri on the bed. “We went for a walk, like Steve said…”

“And?” Shuri prompted, wagging her eyebrows.

“And we talked.”

“ _Boring._ ”

Lo rolled her eyes. “We held hands and went down to the farms and watched the sunset. It was beautiful. He told me some things about himself, and I told him some things about me. He uh, he said that I was a good person,” Lo blushed, remembering. “And that being around me makes him want to be a better person. And then we kissed, and he walked me back to my room, and we said goodnight. The end.”

“The end?! That’s it?!”

“What do you mean that’s it?!” she asked.

“I just thought-... you know what, nevermind,” Shuri said, waving her hand dismissively. Lo felt her brows raise. “I’m so glad you guys kissed! Oh my god I had no idea Bucky was such a sap, he said you make him want to be _good!_ My heart!”

Shuri clutched at her chest dramatically and Lo laughed.

“I know. Isn’t it sweet? I still can’t believe it happened.”

There was a beat.

“Is he a good kisser?”

“Shuri!”

“Oh come on, Lo, help me out here. I’m living vicariously through you right now. My love life is so _boring_.” She pleaded. Lo shook her head in exasperation.

“He’s a _very_ good kisser.” she admitted.

Shuri squealed and Lo couldn’t help but giggle with her. Weirdly enough, she felt young again, laughing and gossiping about boys like she used to back in highschool. It’s been so long since Lo was last involved with a guy. She usually focused so much on her career that she had no time to worry about boys.

“I’m so happy for you!” Shuri shouted. “So now what?”

“Now what?” Lo said, looking down at her hands. This is the part she was dreading.

“You know, now what? Are you guys gonna start seeing each other? That kiss has to mean _something_.”

“I don't know,” Lo said. “He’s leaving with Cap to New York tomorrow, to go be an Avenger or whatever. And i’ll be going to England, or somewhere in Europe, I haven’t decided. I think...maybe tonight was just a one time thing.”

“No!” Shuri yelled. “But he sounded so serious about you! He said you make him want to be a better person, that has to mean he likes you more than a one time thing.”

Lo shrugged, trying not to get all emotional.

“Our lives are so different. He’s always away fighting, i’m always somewhere across the world treating patients. Could it even work out?”

“Yes!” Shuri said, adamant. “It could if you wanted it to! You already said you were thinking about settling down somewhere, not doing so much travel. You could go to New York!”

“I couldn’t go to New York,” Lo shook her head.

“Why not? Bucky will be there. So will Cap. It’d be easy for you to get a job anywhere you wanted.”

“Because Bucky wouldn’t be there. He’d be away, fighting Hydra god knows where. And I wouldn’t want to take that away from him. He’s a freaking superhero- he needs to go and save the world. I'd just make him distracted.”

“Did Bucky tell you that? That you’re a distraction?”

“Of course not-”

“Then you can’t assume anything.” Shuri smiled. “I’m not saying you have to be with him. I’m just saying that you could, if you wanted to. You might even be good for him. It’s been a long time since Bucky’s had someone care about him- besides Steve.”

Lo sighed.

“I know. He told me he didn’t deserve me, when we were on the hill. We took the programming out of him but he still hates who he is. He blames himself for everything.”

Shuri grabbed Lo’s hand, rubbing soothing circles over her knuckles. 

“Maybe you could help him with that? Show him that it’s not his fault?”

“Maybe,” Lo whispered, her voice tight with emotion. 

“Well, no matter what you choose to do, you know i’m here for you. It’s getting late though, i’ll let you sleep.”

Shuri stood up and pulled Lo into a bone crushing hug.

“I love you girl, you know that?”

Lo chuckled, her eyes wet with unshed tears. 

“I know. I love you too.”

They pulled apart and Lo walked Shuri to the door. Shuri smiled reassuringly at her.

“I’ll come by in the morning, we can go down to say goodbye together.”

Lo nodded, no longer trusting her voice. Shuri squeezed her hand before turning and heading back to her room.

Lo sighed and locked the door once more.

Shuri had given her a lot to think about. Lo knew she liked Bucky. A lot. But he was leaving in the morning, regardless of how she felt, and she couldn’t stop him. She didn’t want to. Catching Hydra was too important.

She went back to her bed, climbed under the covers with her day clothes still on, and tossed and turned all night.

~~~~

It felt like she had only just fallen asleep when there was a knock at her door.

Lo groaned but got up, walking to the front door of her guest room to let Shuri in. The other girl smiled at her, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Sorry, I know it’s early. Nat and Clint just left New York so they’ll be here in about an hour. I wanted to give you some time to get ready before we go downstairs.”

Lo nodded, opening the door a little wider for Shuri to enter.

“Thanks, Shuri, I’ll go take a shower. Make yourself comfortable,” Lo said, gesturing vaguely around the room.

She grabbed a towel and entered her bathroom for a shower, making sure to scrub and comb through all the tangles in her hair.

She wrapped the towel around herself once she was finished and looked at herself in the mirror for a moment.

She took in her wild mess of dark hair. The slight circles under her eyes from the lack of sleep. Her skin was warm and tanned from all the Wankandan sun. She sighed, applying a layer of concealer to hide the circles under her eyes, before changing into some spare clothes and leaving the bathroom.

Shuri was in the small kitchen, sitting at one of the stools, when she entered. She smiled at her.

“Ready to go?”

Lo nodded, and they left her guest room together.

~~~~

They walked down to the hanger in silence. Lo kept clenching and unclenching her fist, not sure what else to do with her hands.

T’Challa was waiting for them outside at the hangar, along with Okoye and W’Kabi. Cap was also there, in his suit, his brand new shield on his arm. Bucky was standing beside him in a one sleeved jacket and black pants. His new vibranium arm glinted in the sunlight.

His eyes met hers the second she left the palace, like he had been waiting for her. She smiled at him as she approached, her face heating up a little under his gaze. He smiled back.

“Shuri, Doc,” Cap nodded to them.

“Hello Captain,” Shuri grinned.

“Shield looks good,” Lo smiled, coming to stand next to Bucky. Her eyes lingered on his tall form.

_He looked damn good in uniform, no doubt about that._

“Hi, Doll.” he said quietly, like he was speaking only to her.

“Hi,” she said, blushing further. Her mind kept replaying their kiss, and she couldn’t help but feel shy all of a sudden.

“I’m here too, thanks for noticing.” Shuri rolled her eyes at Bucky. He grinned at her.

“I was hoping you wouldn’t come, so I wouldn’t have to see your face so early in the morning.”

Lo’s jaw dropped at his confident teasing.

“Okay white boy-” Shuri began, ready to literally fight Bucky.

“Enough,” T’Challa said, holding up his hand and chuckling. “The last thing we need is for Natasha and Clint to arrive while you two are in the middle of a fight.”

“I redesigned my blasters,” Shuri said, ignoring her brother. “I can totally kick your ass now.”

“Oh really?” Bucky grinned.

“You know it.”

“My moneys on Shuri,” Lo said. Bucky's mouth dropped open, feigning shock.

“Ouch,” he said, dropping his arm to pinch her gently in the side.

She yelped and jumped away from him while he laughed. 

“Don’t get handsy, Buckaroo. I’ll get Shuri on to you.”

“ _I thought you liked it when I got handsy,_ ” he said, dropping his voice so only she could hear him.

Apparently it wasn’t quiet enough though, because beside them Cap started choking on air.

_Oh my god oh my god-_

Lo slapped Bucky on the chest and he laughed even harder. Her face was definitely on fire now.

“Only kidding, Doll,” he said.

“You’re an arsehole, Barnes” she rolled her eyes.

“An ‘arsehole?’, don’t you mean ‘asshole?” he said, mimicking her accent. She was ready to swat him again, but Okoye cut her off.

“A ship has just entered our perimeter,” She said, looking up from her Kimoyo bracelet.

Lo froze, no longer smiling. Bucky reached down and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. 

She looked up at him and he smiled softly at her. She tried to return his smile, but it fell flat.

T’Challa stepped forward just as a Quinjet came into view and landed gracefully in front of them.

There was a soft hiss as the latch unlocked and the ramp lowered. 

Nat and Clint stepped out first, making their way down the ramp. A third shadowy figure came down behind them.

Bucky’s hand on hers tightened instantly and he yanked her behind him. She was about to shout and ask what the hell was going on, when the figure revealed itself to be none other than Tony Stark.

Cap and T’Challa immediately took on defensive positions. Tony held his hands up in surrender.

“Jesus Christ, I come in peace.”

“Mr. Stark,” T’Challa said, slowly raising back to his full height. “We weren’t expecting you.”

He opened his mouth to answer, but Nat cut him off.

“He insisted on tagging along. He has some things he wants to say,” Nat said, looking pointedly at Tony.

His mouth opened and closed a few times before he huffed. 

“Right. I came to apologise.”

Lo saw Cap’s brows shoot up in surprise 

“To apologise?” Steve confirmed. Tony dropped his hands and followed Nat and Clint down the ramp.

“Yes, to apologise. I know things between us aren’t exactly... _good_ right now. So I wanted to say sorry, for lashing out and trying to kill your buddy there,” he said gesturing vaguely towards Bucky. “I still think you should’ve told me about my parents though, Cap. You owe me that. But i’m willing to move on for the sake of working together to capture Hydra, and whatnot.”

“I see,” Cap said, still slightly weary.

“And I got your letter. The Avengers aren’t mine. They belong to all of us. Friday hacked into the prison and broke out Sam and the others. They’re back at the compound, waiting for us.”

“You disobeyed Ross?” Cap asked. Tony shrugged, nonchalant.

“Shield has a leak. The only people we can trust were in that prison. So I got them out.”

“Well, I…” Steve cleared his throat. “You’re right. I should have told you about your parents, I thought I was doing the right thing, but clearly I wasn’t. I’m sorry too.”

Tony waved his hand in the air, trying to make the clearly intense moment seem not so serious. 

“It’s done. I brought back your Shield, because it really does belong to you, but I see you’ve got a new one.”

Steve chuckled and looked down at his shield.

“Courtesy of Shuri and Dr. Haynes.”

“Haynes?” Tony said, his face scrunching up in confusion.

In front of her, Bucky stepped to the side so that Tony could get a good look at Lo.

“Alright, Tony?” Lo grinned.

“Lolita Haynes.” Tony chuckled. “Last time I saw you, you told me to, and I quote, ‘take my job offer and shove it up my ass.”

Lolita laughed. “I like to leave an impression.”

“I didn’t realise you two knew each other,” Nat said, smiling between Lo and Tony.

“I did some work for him a few years ago. He tried to offer me a permanent position, but I turned it down.”

“Huh,” Clint chuckled.

Tony’s gaze moved from Lo to Bucky, who was still standing protectively near her.

“I owe you an apology too, Barnes. I know it wasn’t you that-” he hesitated, “-hurt my parents. It was the Soldier. And from what Nat’s told me, he’s gone now.”

Bucky nodded, still stoic and tense.

“Shuri and Lo got rid of the Hydra programming. I can’t be turned into the Winter Soldier now. But you don’t owe me an apology.”

“I do,” Tony argued. His tone left no room for debate. “And to make it up to you, I got a room set up at the new Avengers compound with your name on it. Two bedrooms and a solid kitchen. It’s pretty nice, actually. Also it’s right down the hall from Steve.”

Bucky’s mouth opened in surprise, and then his brows furrowed like he couldn’t understand what was happening.

“I-uh- thank you?”

“You’re welcome,” Tony said, ignoring Bucky’s confusion. Tony paused, doing a double take. “New arm?”

“That’s courtesy of Shuri and Haynes too,” Cap answered for him.

Tony looked between Lo and the princess.

Shuri shook her head.

“That one was pretty much all Lo, actually.”

“It’s impressive,” Tony said, looking at Lo significantly. “You’ve gotten better.”

“In the two years since I worked for you? I’d sure hope so.” Lo grinned.

Tony rolled his eyes at her.

“Still got a problem with keeping your mouth shut, though. I guess some things never change.” He winked.

Next to her, Bucky tensed further.

“Well, now that everybody’s kissed and made up, we should get going.” Nat called.

“Right,” Clint said. “Then we can get back to hunting down Hydra. Good to see you again, Kitten,” Clint winked, sending a shit eating grin to T’Challa.

“Get out of my kingdom.” T’Challa shot back.

Clint just chuckled and walked back up the ramp to start the jet. Nat and Tony lingered on the ground.

“Thanks for having us, your highness.” Steve said, walking over to shake the Kings hand.

“Of course, you and Sergeant Barnes are always welcome here. Let me know if you need any help with Hydra. Shuri is more than eager to join the fight.”

“You’re damn right I am,” Shuri grinned. Steve chuckled.

“Will do. Until then, keep up the training, Princess.” He said, moving to shake Shuri’s hand. She rolled her eyes at him and pulled him into a hug. Steve looked momentarily surprised, before chuckling again and patting her gently on the back.

“I will. Be careful out there. I don’t want to see any scratches on you _or_ that shield.” Shuri said.

“No promises,” Cap smiled, letting her go. He moved on to Lo.

“It was good to meet you, Doc. Thanks for helping us out.”

Lo pulled him into a hug even tighter than Shuri’s.

“I’m gonna miss you, Cap.”

“I’ll miss you too,” he chuckled. “Come visit next time you’re in North America, okay?”

“I will. You’ve got my number if you need anything- shields, weapons, medical care, whatever. I’m sure I can do a better job than Stark.”

Behind them Tony scoffed and rolled his eyes.

“I don’t doubt it,” Cap said. He nodded at everyone once before heading over to the ramp of the Quinjet.

“Thank you both, for everything.” Bucky said, turning to address Shuri and T’Challa. “I owe you both.”

T’Challa shook his head.

“It was our pleasure. I’m glad we were able to help.”

“Even if you did break my blasters,” Shuri grinned, “and make fun of me. It was good to have you around, Bucky,” she pulled him into a quick hug. “You still owe me a rematch, by the way.”

He chuckled and let her go. “Once this is over, we can have one.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Shuri smiled. “Keep in touch, alright?”

He nodded at her, and then his blue eyes turned to Lo.

Neither of them seemed to know what to say for a moment.

“Any day now,” Tony called from the ramp. Lo pulled the finger at him.

“Thank you, Doll, again. For everything.” Bucky said, quieter.

Lo shook her head. 

“Don’t-”

“-Thank you, I know,” he smiled. “Well too bad, because I am.”

Lo huffed out a laugh.

“I’ll miss you,” she said, voice cracking halfway through. She felt her eyes well up with tears. _Dammit._

He pulled her into a warm hug. His arms wrapped around her shoulders and hers reached around his middle. She tried not to think about the tears that escaped and were no doubt staining his jacket.

“I’ll miss you too,” he said, planting a kiss to her forehead, unbeknownst to everyone else. “How about after this whole thing is over, you let me take you out to dinner? It seems only fitting, seeing that I made you miss out last night.”

“Really?” Lo sniffled.

“Yeah, Doll.” He said. She could hear the smile in his voice.

“I’d like that.”

He squeezed her tighter, almost involuntarily, and then pulled back. 

“Be careful, Bucky.” She said, wiping at the tears on her cheeks. He smoothed a piece of hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear.

“I’m always careful.”

She shot him a look of disbelief and he chuckled.

“Alright, maybe i’m not. But I will be this time. Promise.”

Lo nodded, steadying herself. “Good.”

“I’ll see you soon, sweetheart.” He said, squeezing her hand once more before turning and walking over to the jet. He stopped beside Steve, his blue eyes meeting hers.

Tony, who had been watching the whole exchange, eyed her curiously.

“You know,” he began. “My offer still stands.”

"What offer?" Lo asked in confusion. Tony rolled his eyes.

"The _job offer_."

“For robotics and engineering at Stark Tower? I thought you sold that place.” Lo asked, still not understanding.

“I _did._ ” Tony replied. “I’m talking about the new job at HQ. Scientific research and weapon development.”

“Weapon development?” She said, shocked. “You know I fix people, right? Not make weapons that will hurt them.”

“So Cap’s shield and Mr. Unstables arm- those aren’t weapons?”

Lo’s mouth formed a tense line.

“I’m just saying,” Tony said, “Weapons doesn’t necessarily mean guns and explosives. If you take the job, i’ll see to it that you still get to do your helping people/prosthetics thing. You’ll just be working on designs for the team as well, things like the Iron Man suits and Cap’s shield.”

Lo opened her mouth, but no words came out. She was shocked, to say the least. 

Work in New York? For Tony Stark? Permanently?

“I can’t,” she finally said, shaking her head.

“I’ll triple my offer from last time.”

Lo choked. Her last offer was 7 digits, but Tony didn’t even blink.

“Where would I even stay?” Lo said, still in disbelief that any of this was happening. “I mean, the compound isn’t exactly in a residential area, and i’m not an Avenger.”

Tony opened his mouth, but Bucky cut him off.

“With me,” he said, surprising everyone, including himself. “Um, I mean, if you wanted to. Tony said I had two rooms, right? It’s not like i’ll be using the other one.” his voice was shaky, but grew more determined with each word. 

“I... _Are you sure?_ ” Lo asked.

“Yeah, Doll,” He smiled. “It’s the least I can do after everything you’ve done for me.”

Lo was speechless.

Tony Stark just offered her a job doing prosthetics and working on designs for the Avengers. She would get to help people, and experiment in a whole new area of innovation.

“There’s your accommodation,” Tony grinned. 

_He had her and he knew it._

“What do you say?”

Lo bit her lip, wondering what the hell she was about to agree to.

It seemed like the perfect opportunity to keep helping people without travelling all over the world to do so. She could finally stay in one place without feeling guilty.

Plus, Bucky would be there. 

She looked at Shuri, who was practically begging her to say yes.

“Get a contract to my lawyer.” Lo finally said.

Tony’s grin widened even further. He dropped his shades over his eyes.

“You start in two days.” he said, walking up the ramp and into the Quinjet. Nat followed behind him.

Steve chuckled, looking between Lo and Bucky. 

“Guess we won’t have to plan any visits now. I’ll see you in New York, Doc.” He smiled, “Thanks again, Shuri, Your highness,” Cap nodded to either of them.

Shuri waved as he stepped into the Quinjet and out of sight.

“Looks like we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other, Barnes,” Shuri said. Bucky just raised an eyebrow in questioning. “As Lo’s official best friend, I will be visiting her at least once a week. So you better get used to having me around your apartment,”

“ _Great,_ ” Bucky said, rolling his eyes sarcastically. He smiled when Lo started laughing. “I’ll see you soon, Doll.”

Lo nodded. 

“See you. And thanks, Bucko.”

He grinned and stepped into the Quinjet. The ramp shut after him and the jet took off into the sky.

“So,” Shuri said, turning to grin at Lo. “You're moving in with Bucky,” she wagged her eyebrows suggestively.

T’Challa rolled his eyes and walked back into the palace, Okoye and W’Kabi following close behind.

“I guess so,” Lo said, still a little shocked that any of this was even happening. “So much for me being a distraction to him, huh?” 

Shuri burst into laughter.

“Looks like your whole freak out last night was for nothing,” she confirmed.

“I-...Shit, what the hell just happened? I can’t believe i’m actually moving,” Lo chuckled. “I should probably call my parents. Let them know that i’m going to New York. I don’t even know how i’m getting there.”

“I’ll drop you off. We can take one of the jets in the morning. It’ll give you time to settle in before you start work.”

“Oh, okay cool. Wow. This is so weird. I need to go pack.”

Shuri laughed at her shocked friend.

“I’ll help you. I meant what I said to Bucky, i’m coming to visit you all the time.”

“Please do,” Lo grinned. “I’ll miss being away from you, and it’ll be nice to have a familiar face that isn’t Bucky, Steve or Tony.”

“Do you know anyone else at the compound?” Shuri asked. Lo shook her head.

“Not really. I guess I know Nat and Clint now, but that’s about it.”

“And how do you feel about moving in with Bucky?” Shuri grinned.

Lo took a deep breath, sorting through all the emotions that were rushing around inside her.

“Excited,” She finally admitted. “You know, he invited me to dinner.”

“NO WAY! Oh my _god_ that’s so cute.”

“I know,” Lo grinned. “It’s strange. Last night I was convinced that I couldn’t go to New York because i’d get in his way, or stop him from doing his job somehow. But...now i’m excited. He actually wants me to stay with him.”

“I don’t know why that surprises you,” Shuri giggled. “I’ve told you before- he’s literally head over heels for you. You should see the way he watches you when you aren’t looking. It’d be creepy if it wasn’t so heart-eyed.”

Lo laughed, trying to hide her blush.

“Whatever,” she grinned.

“I’m serious! He’s constantly looking out for you. Like today! When Tony got off the jet! Don’t think I missed the way he put himself in front of you to protect you.”

“Alright, Alright!” Lo laughed. “You know, he did that the first time I met Natasha and Clint too. I figured it was just some scary assassin thing.”

“Nope, it’s definitely a you thing.” Shuri grinned. “Now come on, we need to go pack your stuff. You’re moving to New York!”

“I’m moving to New York,” Lo repeated. 

I’m moving in with Bucky.

_God help me._

~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohoo things are happening. 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed Tonys first appearance. Also, if you're wondering what letter he was talking about, it's the letter Steve sent in the end of Civil War.
> 
> Let me know what you thought in the comments below!


	8. Moving Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning, this chapter is _heavy_ on the dialogue :D  
> Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Shuri walked Lo from the hangar and straight to the kitchens for breakfast, before they went to her room and started packing. The packing didn’t take long, considering Lo had only brought necessities and a few weeks worth of clothes to Wakanda. Most of her stuff was still at her parents house in England, but Lo decided to buy anything she needed in New York instead of shipping all her old clothes and furniture.

It would give her a chance to use some of that new paycheck Tony promised.

True to his word, Tony had sent a contract through to her lawyer less than an hour after they left. Lo had been in contact with her lawyer since, and had been assured the contract was good. She signed it late that night, after her and Shuri had packed the last of her bags, and sent it back to Stark.

Friday replied to her email instantly, with a brief _‘Welcome to the team, Dr. Haynes.’_

Lo couldn’t tell if it was butterflies or nausea that she felt. 

“Shit, this is really happening,” she said, after reading the reply to Shuri.

“No kidding,” Shuri replied, laughing at her. Lo rolled her eyes and threw a pillow at her friend.

They were currently sitting on Lo's guest bed, surrounded by blankets and junk food and packed suitcases. Shuri had insisted they have a sleepover for Lo’s last night, and Lo obviously agreed.

“You’re gonna have to start calling Tony Stark ‘Boss’,” Shuri teased.

“Yeah right, I didn’t even call him Boss last time, i’m not starting now. He’s either Tony, or Arsehole. He can choose.”

Shuri burst into laughter.

“It’s so weird, you’re like the nicest, sweetest girl i’ve ever met- yet you turn into this whole new _sassy_ person around Stark. It’s surprising, but in a good way.”

“It’s just the friendship we have,” Lo grinned. “We like to get on eachothers nerves. He acts all cocky and arrogant, so I put him in his place.”

“I know but like, earlier today you pulled the finger at him. I have never seen anybody do that to Tony Stark and get away with it. I’ve also never seen you pull the finger at anyone. I think he might be a bad influence on you,” Shuri joked.

Lo laughed. “Probably, but he keeps things interesting. I think he respects people who are willing to stand up for themselves. That’s why we get along so well. I don’t let him walk all over me, and as much as he hates to admit it, he likes me for it.”

“Damn,” Shuri huffed out a laugh. “Look at you, putting Tony Stark in his place.”

“Let’s be clear, I don’t exactly get away scratch free. He purposely acts like a little shit around me just to piss me off. It’s like some weird, family rivalry. Maybe he's my long lost uncle or something,” Lo said, screwing up her face at the thought. 

Finding out she's related to Tony was the _last_ thing she needed right now.

“Oh god, what if he is?” Shuri said, looking horrified. Lo laughed at her. 

“You know, I met his girlfriend once. She seems cool,” Shuri continued.

“Pepper? Yeah, she’s great. I heard they broke up for a little while, but I think they’re back together now. It’s good, he needs someone like her.” Lo said. 

Shuri nodded, gesturing to the screen they had pulled up to the end of her bed.

“Wanna watch a bad rom-com?”

“Absolutely,” Lo replied, shovelling popcorn into her mouth extremely ungracefully.

~~~~

Lo woke up early hours the next morning.

They had fallen asleep tangled amongst the blankets and pillows somewhere between the second and third movie.

Shuri yawned next to her, stretching her arms high above her head.

“Moving day,” she smiled sleepily.

“Moving day,” Lo repeated, rubbing her eyes.

Shuri left to go shower and get dressed in her own room, while Lo did the same. She pulled her long hair over one shoulder and let it air dry, not bothering too much with makeup considering she would be travelling for most of the day.

She pulled on a pair of jeans and a dark shirt tied at the waist. Shuri came knocking on her door just as she finished getting ready.

“Ready to leave?” Shuri smiled.

“Ready,” Lo nodded, grabbing her bags with Shuri’s help.

She said a final goodbye to the guest room she had spent the last two weeks in, and followed Shuri down to the hangar.

There was a jet waiting for them, nothing too big considering it would only be them and Okoye travelling.

T’Challa and Okoye were waiting outside by the plane when they approached.

“Good morning,” the King smiled. 

“Morning,” Lo replied easily.

Shuri grabbed the bags out of her hands and carried them onto the jet.

“It’s going to be strange without you here,” T’Challa continued. “The people have grown quite fond of you since you arrived.”

“I’m gonna miss this place,” Lo admitted. “Thank you, for letting me stay and use your technology.”

“Our pleasure,” T’Challa insisted. “You did me a favour by helping Sergeant Barnes and Captain Rogers. And by keeping my annoying sister out of my face.”

“Hey!” Shuri called, leaving the jet.

Lo laughed.

“I’m glad I could help. Let me know if you find any other broken super soldiers who need something fixed.”

“You’ll be the first person I call,” T’Challa chuckled. He pulled her into a quick hug. “I have no doubt that we shall see each other again soon.”

“Definitely, come visit New York with Shuri sometime.”

“I will,” the King promised. 

“Ready?” Okoye asked. Lo nodded and followed her onto the jet.

Shuri said a quick goodbye to her brother, crossing her arms over her chest to signal ‘Wakanda forever’, before also stepping onto the jet.

Okoye sat in the pilot seat, with Lo and Shuri sitting on either side. The king smiled and waved at them as they lifted off the ground, before turning and taking off to the skies.

~~~~

The trip to New York was relatively short in the small jet. It only took them about four hours before Okoye announced they had entered New York.

Lo had slept most of the way, trying to catch up on a few extra hours of rest that she missed the night before. Shuri had stayed awake, talking to Okoye.

“We’re here,” Okoye said, slowing the jet as it approached the new Avengers compound. 

Lo leaned forward in her seat to catch a glimpse of the place that would now be her new home. It was huge, there were several massive buildings all connected by tunnels and pathways, with some even larger buildings down the side.

Okoye lowered the jet, preparing to land outside what Lo assumed was the main building, given the giant ‘A’ on one of the walls. Steve, Tony and Bucky were all waiting for them outside.

The jet landed with a soft thud. Lo grabbed most of her bags, while Okoye and Shuri picked up the rest. They waited for the ramp to lower before exiting onto the soft grass.

Lo’s eyes immediately met Bucky’s blue ones and he grinned.

“Queen Elizabeth, thank god you’re here,” Tony said, feigning relief. “Heavy Metal here hasn’t been able to stop talking about you since we left.”

Bucky turned to stare daggers at Stark, while Tony pretended to ignore him. Lo laughed.

“Queen Elizabeth, really Tony?”

“It’s a classic,” he grinned, turning to welcome Shuri and Okoye. “Nice to see you again, ladies. Welcome to Avengers HQ.”

“You don’t think the ‘A’ was a bit much?” Okoye deadpanned, pointing to the huge Avengers symbol on the side of the building.

“No such thing,” Tony grinned.

Bucky rolled his eyes behind him and Lo giggled.

Steve stepped forward and took the bags from Lo’s hands, ever the gentleman. 

“Are you staying for long?” he asked Shuri. She shook her head.

“Just came to drop Lo off and then we need to head back.”

He nodded. “Understandable,” before taking the rest of the bags from Shuri and Okoye. Lo chuckled, _damn super soldiers._

“So...i’ll guess we’ll see you later?” Shuri smiled, turning to say good bye to Lo. 

Lo willed herself not to get emotional. She really hated good byes.

“Definitely. Weekly visits, remember?” Lo replied, pulling her best friend into a hug.

“Of course. I’ll be here this time next week.”

“You better,” Lo chuckled, releasing her friend. “Thanks, Okoye.”

Okoye smiled, a rare sight for her, and held up her arms in a cross motion over her chest.

“Anytime, Doctor.”

Lo mimicked her actions and Okoye nodded to the men before turning and walking back onto the jet.

“Look after my best friend, you hear?’ Shuri said, looking each of the men hard in the eyes. “If anything happens to her, i’ll come after you three first.”

Tony held his hands up in mock surrender.

“We will,” Cap grinned. 

Shuri turned to follow Okoye up the ramp to the jet.

“Text me!” She called over her shoulder to Lo.

Lo chuckled and waved at her retreating figure. They waited until the jet lifted off the ground and took off into the sky, out of sight. Lo smiled. Was it weird that she already missed Shuri? That girl was less of a friend and more of a sister at this point.

“So,” Tony said, turning to Lo. “There’s a team meeting in 20. Elizabeth, i’m afraid your attendance is mandatory.”

Lo sighed at the nickname.

“Hydra stuff?” she asked, her eyes flicking back to Bucky.

“Yeah, unfortunately. There was a second attack on another ex-Hydra base last night. We’re meeting today to debrief.”

“Have you figured out who the mole is? The one who leaked all the Hydra files?” Lo asked. Cap shook his head.

“Still working on it. But we think we may have figured out a pattern for the attacks.”

Cap’s eyes met Bucky’s, who’s jaw was clenched so tight she was surprised his teeth hadn’t cracked.

“They’re targeting the bases where the other super soldiers were. They haven’t found any yet, but we think Hydra may be trying to wake them up.” Bucky said.

“If we know what their plan is, hopefully we can figure out where they’re going next and stop them before they get the chance.” Tony said.

 _Shit,_ Lo thought. 

“What happens if they find more super soldiers and manage to wake them up?” she asked, dread already pooling in her gut.

“We’re all screwed,” Tony huffed a laugh, but there was no humour to it.

“Which is why we’re having a meeting. We need to stop Hydra before they find the super soldiers.” Cap replied. Lo nodded.

“I want to help. I know I said I don't make weapons, but it sounds like we need them.”

“Good,” Tony quipped. “Welcome to the team, Doc. Go check out your room and meet us in the conference room.”

He turned with a flourish and walked inside the main building, presumably to the conference room to get ready.

“Sorry, Doll,” Bucky said, coming to stand by her side. “I know you don’t want to hurt anyone.”

The sincerity in his voice made her heart swell. He was genuinely upset that she was getting pulled into this mess. Lo shook her head.

“My job is to save people. The only way to do that is to stop Hydra before they kill us all,” she said, looking at Bucky and trying to convince him that she meant it.

“Sadly, you’re right,” Steve said. “Come on, we’ll show you around before the meeting starts.”

He turned and walked towards the building, arms still filled with her bags. She reached out and squeezed Bucky’s hand before following behind the captain. Bucky sighed, but his hand tentatively reached out and returned her squeeze. She smiled.

“Down there is the conference room,” Cap said, gesturing down a hallway. “There's a lounge and kitchen right next door. Upstairs,” he said, pointing to the stairs at the end of the foyer, “is another living area and kitchen, as well as a workshop and most of our offices.”

They walked through a set of doors and down a hallway to an adjacent building.

“This is the living quarters. Everyone's private rooms are somewhere in this building. Out there,” he said, pointing out the huge panel of windows to another building, “is the gym, shooting range, rehab room and indoor pool. The labs and work rooms are in that building next to it. My room is this way.”

He led them up a short flight of stairs and to the right. 

“This one's mine,” he pointed to the first door before walking down to the end of the hall. “And this one’s yours,” he smiled.

Bucky stepped forward to unlock the door.

“It’s all done on some fancy fingerprint scanner. You can control who has access to your room- right now, the only people allowed in are Steve and you. But we can add in others later, if you want. Here.”

He gestured for Lo to step forward and place her hand on the door handle. She saw a light pass under her hand as the handle read her finger prints. It unlocked with a soft click.

“Nice,” Lo grinned, pushing open the door for them to enter.

The door opened into a comfortable sized lounge/living area, with couches and a TV and a small dining table. To the right was a large kitchen, with an island and four bar stools, and to the left was three doors.

“This one's mine,” Bucky said, pointing to the first door. “That ones the bathroom, and this here's yours.”

He pushed open the door of the spare room. Lo was surprised to see just how big it was.

A queen bed sat against one wall, with a window overlooking part of the lake and what Lo assumed was an outdoor running track. There were empty bookshelves on one wall, and a desk and chair against another. It was cute, she loved it. Even if it was in dire need of a personal touch.

“Whaddya think?” Steve said, dropping her bags gently onto the bed.

“It’s perfect,” she grinned.

“Good, we’ve got 10 minutes before the meeting. I’m gonna go get ready, i’ll meet you both in the conference room.” he said. Bucky nodded at him, and Steve turned to leave the room.

For the first time since she’d arrived, Lo was alone with Bucky. Actually, it was the first time they'd been alone since he dropped her off at her door the other night. 

Remembering that night, Lo felt her cheeks flush. 

As if sensing what she was thinking, Bucky's mouth pulled up into a half smirk.

Lo sat down on the bed, looking at him out of her peripheral. His shoulder was propped against the doorway, his arms folded across his chest. It made the muscles in his flesh arm flex and strain. Lo had to peel her eyes away before she said something embarrassing.

“Thank you, Buck. For letting me stay with you.”

“Don’t thank me,” he teased, using the line she always used on him. “I’m glad I could help.”

She couldn't help but her eyes at him. 

“So, any ground rules I need to know about?”

“Ground rules?” He repeated looking confused.

“Yeah, you know. You stick to your side of the apartment and I’ll stick to mine. Don’t steal your cereal, that sort of thing.”

Bucky chuckled.

“No rules, sweetheart. You can come over to my side of the apartment anytime," he winked. Fucking _winked_. Lo was pretty sure she melted on the spot.

"Actually," Bucky continued, "I should warn you, i’m kind of a food hog. If you leave any sweets in the kitchen I can guarantee they won’t be there by the time you get back.”

Lo laughed in surprise. She knew the super soldiers could eat, but for some reason Lo didn't peg Bucky to be a sweets kind of guy. He looked like the type of person who refused anything but black coffee.

“Bucky Barnes has a sweet tooth, huh? Who would’ve thought.” she grinned. 

“What about you?” he nodded at her, “any bad habits I should know about?”

“Hmm,” Lo smiled, thinking aloud. “Not really. Although I have been known to stress bake, if that counts. So if you ever see me panic baking at like three am, just know it’s normal.”

“Stress bake?” he chuckled. “I think that could work out well, actually.”

She rolled her eyes at him jokingly. 

“I’m glad you think so.”

He grinned at her. A real grin, with teeth and crinkly eyes and everything, and she damn near lost her breath. How anyone could be _that_ attractive was beyond her.

“You’re staring, Sunshine.” he said, blue eyes bright with mirth.

Her face immediately burned red and she looked away.

“Sunshine?” she asked.

“Yeah, sunshine. You know, like the song.”

Lo thought back to that time in the lab, where he twirled her around to an old song. ‘You Are My Sunshine’ by Jimmy Davis. Her heart leapt in her chest.

“You’re bright and warm, and you make people happy. It fits you,” he said.

Her blush deepened even further and she met his eyes shyly. He was watching her carefully, a small but uncertain smile on his face, like he was worried she might tell him off for calling her such a thing. 

“Oh,” was all she managed to say, but he obviously took her red cheeks and beaming smile as a good sign. 

His eyes flicked to the clock on the wall behind her. 

“We should go,” he said, extending a hand towards her on the bed. She took it, and he pulled her gently to her feet.

She thought he would drop her hand as soon as she was standing, but to her delight, he only tightened his hold, intertwining his fingers with hers. 

His hand was a reassuring warmth at her side. It gave her confidence, somehow. And strength. Like she could do anything as long as he was beside her. 

Lo realised in surprise, and maybe a little fear, that she didn’t want to let him go. Ever.

His flesh hand cradled hers all the way out of his- their- apartment, and to the main foyer. He didn’t drop it until they reached the doors of the conference room, where everyone was waiting inside. And even then, he gave her a reassuring squeeze before he let go.

She took a deep breath and followed behind as he pushed the conference doors open.

~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna be honest, i'm not _super_ happy with this chapter, but i'm also too exhausted to spend any more time editing lol. I hope you guys liked it anyway! New chapter coming next week, and let me tell you, its a goodie ;)


	9. Battle plans, Bullying and Nightmares.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New Chapterrrr! 
> 
> My last exam is in a couple days so I'll finally be able to get back to writing. I'm so excited. Having exams during lockdown has just been the worst. Anyways, I hope you guys like this chapter! Let me know what you think in the comments!  
> Much love,
> 
> Artemis

Tony and Cap were standing at the front of the conference room, next to a series of huge screens and projections. The rest of the team were gathered around the large table in the centre of the room.

Lo recognised a few faces at the table. Like Nat and Clint, and even Thor and Banner. She knew Dr. Banner from his work in biology and gamma radiation, he was one of the smartest guys in the world. She even wrote a paper on him in high school.

Safe to say, she was a bit of a fan.

And as for Thor, well. There was only one guy on earth with biceps that big. _Who else could it be?_

A girl with long brown hair smiled at her, her hand draped gently over the arm of the purple man next to her. _Vision and Wanda,_ Lo figured

“Mary Poppins, One Armed Wonder, glad you could join us.” Tony said, as Bucky and Lo entered the conference room. She rolled his eyes at yet another nickname.

“Team, this is Doctor Lolita Haynes, the one I told you about last night,” Cap introduced. “Doc, this is Rhodes, Vision, Wanda, Sam, Thor, Dr. Banner and Nat and Clint, who you’ve already met.”

Lo smiled at them all in greeting, struggling not to shy away from all the eyes that stared back at her. Dr. Banner stood up to greet her.

“I’ve seen your work,” he smiled politely, reaching over to shake her hand. “it’s very impressive.”

Lo tried to hide her excitement, but Bucky's grin from the corner of her eye told her she was failing miserably.

“Thank you, Dr. Banner. I'm a big fan,” Lo grinned. Dr. Banner shook his head.

"Call me Bruce, please."

Tony groaned and rolled his eyes. 

"You never drooled over _me_ like that," he grumbled. Lolita raised a brow.

"That's because _your_ work is mediocre," she smirked.

She was only kidding. Truthfully, Tony's work was amazing. In fact, she had been practically shaking when she received the offer to come and do some work for Stark Enterprises.

But then she saw Tony, bickering playfully with Pepper. Suddenly she wasn't so nervous. It was hard to be intimidated by a guy who was getting scolded like a puppy.

Sam tried to cover his surprised laugh as a cough, obviously not expecting Lo to come back at Tony. Lo simply grinned.

“Your name is Lolita? Like the book, Lolita?” Wanda asked, her face screwing up. The rest of the team looked at her in confusion, but Tony sniggered.

They'd had this conversation before, the first time they met. After Tony received a proper telling off from Pepper.

Lo was lucky most people she met hadn’t heard of the book, given how old it was, but there were always a few who made the connection. She hated having to explain that _yes_ , her real name was Lolita. And _yes_ , she was aware of the pedophiliac book about a 12 year old girl called Lolita. _No_ , that's not what she was named after. And worst of all, _No_ , she had not been seduced by any old men in her childhood.

Seriously. She had been asked that before. By people, _plural_. Including Mr. Tony Stark.

“It’s a movie too, actually. But yes, _exactly_ like the book,” Tony answered for her.

Lo rolled her eyes at him. “It’s a family name,” she said, glaring at Tony.

“Wait, what book?” Clint asked, confused as to what they were all talking about.

Tony opened his mouth, probably to give some crude and awful explanation, but Lo cut him off.

“It’s nothing,” she tried to smile. 

Sensing her discomfort, Bucky moved to step beside her, shielding her from all the imploring looks and effectively cutting off all further questions. 

He obviously didn't know what the book was about either, but he didn't seem to care. Instead he grabbed her hand gently and led her over to a couple of spare seats next to Dr. Banner. 

Lo sent up a silent prayer of thanks for the gift that was Bucky Barnes.

“So,” Cap said, redirecting everyone’s attention to the front of the room. Stark sighed, upset he didn't get to tease Lo any further, before pulling up photos of the Hydra base that was broken into.

“As you know, another ex-Hydra base was attacked last night. This one was in Moscow. We assume they got the location of this base from the Hydra file that was leaked from Shield. According to our records, this base was also known for conducting super soldier experiments. But thankfully, the soldiers who _were_ here have either been moved or killed, and Hydra found nothing,” Tony said.

Lo felt her breath catch in her chest.

The atmosphere in the room was tense, to say the least, but Lo could tell everyone was glad to hear that Hydra had not found any of the super soldiers.

“It pretty much confirms our theory that Hydra is targeting the super soldiers. We assume they want to wake them up and use them to take over the world, or something,” Tony continued. “The first break in was in Berlin. Last night was Moscow. They’re going all over the world to try and find these super soldiers on ice, and they aren't slowing down. So we need to stop them.”

He pulled up a list from Shield, with all known Hydra locations containing previous super soldier experiments.

“There's 8 bases in total. The one in Siberia has already been handled. Moscow and Berlin are off the list too. We know that the 2 other locations in Russia have already been sweeped. That leaves us with 3- London, Bucharest and Munich.” Tony said.

Lo was surprised to hear London on the list. The city she had spent so much of her childhood in had a secret Nazi hide out. How _great._

“Not Bucharest,” Bucky said.

Tony paused, as if surprised to hear Bucky speak for once. Lo figured he usually stayed silent during these meetings.

“Not Bucharest? Why?” Tony asked. Bucky's face hardened, returning to the carefully blank mask he sometimes wore.

“There's nothing there."

“And how do you know that?” Tony asked.

He was starting to sound condescending, and it was getting on Lo’s nerves.

“Because I went there, when I was living in Romania. I was trying to get my memories back and I wanted to see if they had my file, but the place had already been wiped clean. They won’t go to Bucharest. There's nothing there.” Bucky said, his voice leaving no room for argument.

The room lapsed into silence for a moment, and then Cap nodded.

“Not Bucharest. So we’re looking at London and Munich.”

“Munich’s closer to Moscow, it makes sense to go there first,” Sam quipped.

“It’s also the obvious choice,” Nat replied. 

“True,” Cap acknowledged. “But it’s a chance we have to take. If they attacked Moscow last night, they should be in Germany by tomorrow. We’ll fly out at 0600.”

“Go team,” Tony said, unenthusiastically.

Rhodes huffed a laugh at him, but Lo remained silent. She was annoyed at him for the way he interrogated Bucky.

Slowly, people around them began gathering their things to go and prepare for the trip. Lo pursed her lips, turning to Bucky.

“You alright?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he smiled at her, albeit a little tense. “I’m fine, Doll.”

He grabbed her hand and helped pull her to her feet. She felt her heart flutter at the natural way his hand grabbed hers.

“Hey Haynes, you got a minute?” Tony called, “I’ve gotta work on the suits for tomorrow, but I want to see if you can help me out with something.”

She made eye contact with Tony, then turned to look pointedly at Bucky. 

She knew it would irritate Tony- making him wait. But she wanted to show him that she trusted Bucky. And if Tony wanted her help, he would have to start trusting Bucky too.

Lo looked at Bucky, questioning. He was still tense, and she didn’t feel comfortable leaving if he wasn't okay. 

Steve answered for him.

“Bucky and I will head to the gym for some last minute training. Just get Friday to give us a call when you’re done.”

She waited for Bucky’s nod before turning to Tony.

“Sure, what can I do to help?”

The super soldiers left the room. Tony looked at her in questioning, as if to say- _what the hell was that for?_

Lo blinked back at him.

Tony sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. 

"Fine, I'm sorry for questioning your cyborg boyfriend. I thought he was hiding something- how was I supposed to know he went to Romania to find his memories?!"

"I'm not the one you should be apologising to," Lo scolded, crossing her arms. "The point is, you need to start trusting Bucky."

"I'm trying kid, I am. But the guy was a psycho assassin, it's gonna take some time."

" _Was_ Tony, _was_. He's been through more than either of us could even imagine. If you want him on your team, you need to start trusting him. So if you ask him a question, and Bucky says no, then the answer is no. Don't go bullying him for explanations."

"I didn't _bully_ him-"

Lo cut him off with a fierce look.

"So what, you're fighting his battles now?"

Lo raised her brows even higher, as if daring Tony to continue.

They had a stare down. For at least 20 seconds. Before Tony clenched his teeth and shook his head, looking away.

"You gave him a room, Tony. Now make him feel welcome."

"Yeah, yeah, Jesus kid. When did you get so stubborn?"

Despite herself, Lo smiled. She couldn't stay mad at Tony, but she refused to let him get away with treating Bucky like that. Not when she cared about him so much.

"Pretty sure I learnt it from you," Lo answered. "Now show me what you need help with. But you owe Bucky an apology."

"Yeah whatever," Tony grumbled, gesturing for Lo to follow him.

~~~~

Tony led her upstairs to a workshop, filled head to toe with the latest Stark tech. The Falcon's wings were sitting on a table in the centre.

“It’s Big Bird's wings. He thinks there’s something wrong with them, but my suits malfunctioning and I need to fix it before tomorrow. Can you take a look at them for me?”

“Sure,” Lo nodded.

Tony walked over to the opposite wall, where his suit was currently waiting for repairs.

“See what you can find,” He said, nodding to the wings.

Lo approached the table, grabbing a data pad nearby and asking Friday to run full diagnostics on the wings. 

It was oddly nice to be back working with Tony. The building was new, but the task was familiar. There were many nights where Lo remembered staying up until the early hours of the morning to help Tony with one project or another. She wouldn’t admit it to him, but he was most of the reason she knew so much about engineering and robotics.

Friday finished running the scans, projecting the results on the datapad in front of her.

The joint where the right wing connected to the pack was jammed. Not enough to stop it from moving completely, but enough that it would definitely affect Sam’s flying.

Lo grabbed some tools from the tray closest to her and set to work, revelling in the familiarity of losing herself in her work.

~~~~

It only took a few hours of disassembly, minor adjustments and reassembly, before the Falcon’s wings were as good as new.

Lo stepped back to admire her work, before walking towards Tony, to let him know she had finished.

Tony had his sleeves rolled up to his forearms and was welding away happily at the mask of his suit. He stopped the torch when he saw Lo approaching.

“Hey Stark, the wings are all fixed. Is there anything else you need done?”

“Nah that’s it, kid," he said, putting down the torch completely. Tony cleared his throat and looked down. "And uh, thanks for your help. You were right, earlier. I need to show Robot-cop I trust him. Tell Bucky I say 'my bad'.”

Ugh, _kid_. She hated when Tony called her that.

"You can tell him yourself in the morning," Lo smirked. "I'm gonna go catch up with the super soldiers. Let me know if you need anything else- and stay safe tomorrow.” 

“Will do, kid."

She left the workshop, calling out to Friday as she went. 

“Hey Friday, are Cap and Bucky still around?”

“Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes are in the gym training. Shall I let them know you’re finished?” The A.I replied.

“No that’s okay, I don’t want to bother them,” Lo said, thinking to herself for a moment. “Actually, do you think you could lead me to the gym?”

“Of course, Dr. Haynes,” Friday replied.

The floors in front of Lo lit up, guiding the way to the gym. She passed various halls and doors, went down a flight of steps and up another.

After a few minutes of walking, the lights stopped.

“Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes are through here,” Friday called.

“Thanks, Friday.”

Lo pushed open the doors to the gym.

It was relatively dark by now, but the huge training room was lit up with bright lights. Cap and Bucky were over in a far corner sparring with each other. Lo walked towards them.

The first thing she noticed was that Cap wasn’t using his shield. 

The second thing she noticed was that Bucky was only in a tight tank top. 

How she noticed the first thing first, and not Bucky's lack of clothing, was a complete mystery. Because now she couldn't take her eyes off him.

Cap and Bucky were both breathing heavily, clearly exhausted from so much training, but they didn’t stop.

Bucky attacked Cap with a power and speed that Lo had never seen before, not even during his training sessions in Wakanda. It was the first time she had seen him really fight like the Winter Soldier. Cap responded with just as much ferocity, blocking each of Bucky’s staggering hits and landing a few of his own.

Lo hung back, not wanting to disturb them while they were training so intensely. It was almost mesmerising, in a horrific, terrifying way; the raw strength and speed they both had. 

Bucky spun, kicking Cap to the ground so loudly that Lo winced. He jumped on top of him, pulling him into a complicated hold so that he was holding Cap’s arm while his legs were tight around his upper body. Bucky had him in an arm bar. Steve’s face was red with strain and he tried to escape, but Bucky’s hold only tightened. 

With a groan, Steve tapped out.

Both men were breathing heavily when they pulled apart. Steve stretched his arm to try and lesson some of the pain.

Lo coughed to let them know she was there, and both men snapped their attention to her. 

“Hi,” she said, a little warily. She was a little shaken up after seeing them fight so intensely.

“Doc,” Steve said, trying to get his breathing under control, “Sorry, we didn’t realise you were there.”

“It’s fine. I didn’t want to interrupt, just came to see how you guys were doing.”

“We’re fine,” Steve replied, looking over at Bucky. His face was neutral, but he was breathing a little harder than usual. 

“You’re not interrupting,” Bucky said, so serious that it made Lo smile. 

“No,” Steve agreed, standing up from the mat and reaching a hand out to pull Bucky up. “Good timing, actually. We just finished.”

“If you say so,” Lo grinned. “That was very impressive to watch, by the way. Sorry for spying.”

Cap chuckled and shook his head. 

“Glad you think so. We wanted to run through a more serious training, to prepare for tomorrow.”

Lo nodded in understanding. Cap grabbed two bottles of water and threw one to Bucky. His metal arm caught it automatically.

“What did Stark need your help with?” Bucky asked, oddly tense.

“Sam’s wings were all jammed up. I fixed them up for him.” She smiled, eyes tracing over Bucky’s _very_ enticing and sweaty physique.

“Idiot couldn’t have done that himself?” Bucky grumbled. It was so quiet Lo barely even heard him.

Steve sent him a warning look.

"Leave Sam alone."

Lo felt her brows raise. She wasn't aware Bucky and Sam didn't get along.

"Tony's sorry, by the way," Lo said. "I told him he owes you an apology by tomorrow morning, but he's bad with words, so it probably won't come across as an apology."

Bucky looked at her in surprise.

"Did you give Stark a talking to, Doll?"

Bucky's eyes gleamed with mischief. Lo huffed.

"He was being an arse. He shouldn't get away with it."

She crossed her arms over her chest, trying to look intimidating. 

Bucky's eyes glanced down to her chest for just a millisecond too long.

"Glad I have you on my team," Bucky said, his voice had dropped so low it was barely above a whisper.

“Come on,” Steve said, getting Bucky's attention. “It’s getting late, and we leave early tomorrow morning.”

He walked towards the main doors of the gym, with Lo and Bucky following close behind. 

Bucky seemed less frustrated before, but his body still seemed tense. 

Lo quirked a brow at him, trying to figure out what was wrong. His eyes met hers and he winked, nudging her gently in the side.

He even smiled, in that small, soft way he did sometimes.

Lo felt way more smug than she should, knowing that his smile was for her.

~~~~

They walked back to the residential building quickly. Steve said goodbye with a smile as they passed his room, telling Bucky he’d come by and get him in the morning. Lo said goodnight and made him promise to be careful. 

It felt like she was always asking people to be careful these days.

Bucky unlocked their room, opening the door for her to walk in first. She grinned up at him. 

The tension had eased out of his shoulders on the walk back. He looked more like the comfortable Bucky she was used to seeing back in Wakanda. Not the stoic, grouchy Bucky he was in front of the rest of the Avengers.

“I’m gonna go take a shower, I feel disgusting,” he said. Lo couldn’t help but laugh up at him. And she really did mean laugh _up_ at him. The top of her head barely reached his chin.

He smiled down at her, and it was like her whole stomach flipped.

“Alright,” she smiled. “Will you knock on my door, before you leave tomorrow? So I can say goodbye?”

She wouldn't tell him, but she was terrified about tomorrow. It scared her that he was going off to fight, while she stayed at the compound, with no way of knowing if he was okay. She knew it was part of his job, he could take care of himself, and he even had the rest of the team watching his back. But still, a wave of fear washed over her at the thought of him getting hurt.

“Of course, Doll.” He smiled.

“Thank you,” she said. 

She had to fight the urge to reach up and brush his long hair from his face. Or the urge to just touch him in general, really.

“Well...” she said, her cheeks heating up under his gaze.

He lifted his human arm tentatively, resting his palm on her cheek. She leaned into the warmth of his hand.

Bucky leaned in closer, slowly, and her breath hitched. She felt his warm breath on her face and tried not to shiver. 

His lips met hers delicately, barely brushing over hers, and she leaned up to melt into his kiss. It was slow and languid, like he was taking the time to commit every part of this moment to memory.

Her hands reached up to settle in his hair. He groaned when she tugged on the dark strands. She felt her body light up at the sound.

He pulled back for air, probably more for her sake than his, before leaning back in and capturing her lips once, twice, three times more. He started peppering feather light kisses all over her face. Lo giggled.

“That tickles,” she laughed, and Bucky grinned at her.

“What tickles?” he said, acting oblivious. He pressed even more feathery kisses around her face.

Lo laughed and pushed him away, scrunching up her face. Her eyes caught a look at his hair and she laughed even harder.

“What?” Bucky asked, his face adorably confused.

“Your hair,” Lo smiled, reaching up to try and smooth down the wayward strands. It had gone all messy after running her fingers through it.

“Whose fault is that?” Bucky rolled his eyes. He leaned down to capture her lips once more and she sighed into the warmth of his kiss.

“Weren’t you supposed to go shower?” She teased. 

Bucky sighed. He stepped away, somewhat reluctantly, and walked towards the bathroom.

Lo yelped in surprise as he gently slapped her butt on the way past. 

“Bucky!” she chastised. He threw his head back and laughed.

"What?" he said, feigning ignorance.

She couldn’t help but grin after him. The _nerve._

Bucky shut the bathroom door behind him. The apartment filled with the sound of running water. 

Lo shook her head and walked back to her bedroom, unloading some of her luggage. She couldn't believe that the Bucky she knew now, and the Bucky she met a few weeks ago, were the same person. He had changed so much since she first met him. He was more confident and comfortable. Less afraid of himself.

Lo lay down on her bed, thinking about everything, but mostly Bucky.

~~~~

She must have fallen asleep because what felt like minutes later, but had to have been hours judging by how dark it was outside, Lo woke up with a start.

There was a loud thump and then a smash, like glass breaking. Lo’s heart started beating erratically in her chest. 

She heard a deep groan, and then a shout of protest, coming from the next room.

_Bucky._

Lo leapt out of bed, her hair and clothes a rumpled mess, and raced to Bucky’s room. It sounded like he was being attacked.

She slammed open the door, ready to defend them both with...no weapon. _Shit._ Nails it is.

Her eyes caught Bucky’s figure on the bed, thrashing and shaking. 

But there was no one else in the room.

“Bucky?” Lo called, tentatively. She was still hovering inside the doorway.

He didn't seem to hear her. His eyes were screwed shut and tears had started to stream down his cheeks. 

He was having a nightmare.

Lo approached his bed with caution, avoiding the smashed lamp that he must have accidentally knocked to the floor.

“ _Bucky?_ ” she tried again. He jolted on the bed and she froze. 

She knew he couldn't turn back into the Winter Soldier, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t dangerous.

He threw his head back on the pillows, barely missing the wall. Lo’s mouth pulled into a tight line. You weren’t supposed to wake someone up during a night terror, but she had to do something before he hurt himself.

Her eyes scanned his room and locked on to the couch next to his bed. It wasn’t the best idea, but it would have to do. 

“Bucky?” She called again, her voice loud but hopefully calm. 

“NO!” he cried, twisting and thrashing on the bed. He looked like he was being _tortured._

She grabbed a cushion off the nearby couch and flung it at him. It hit him in the face and he immediately jackknifed into a sitting position. His blue eyes were wild and filled with tears.

Bucky pulled out a knife from seemingly nowhere and began scanning his room defensively.

“Bucky?” Lo said, her voice quieter than before. His gaze snapped to her standing by the couch.

He was breathing heavily, the knife held tight in his metal hand.

“It’s just me- It’s Lo. We’re in the Avengers HQ. Your friend Steve’s just down the hall. I-I think you had a night terror,” she said, rambling.

With each passing second his posture began to relax. By the time Lo finished talking he’d dropped the knife on the bed and was holding his head in his hands. 

“I’m sorry, I had to wake you before you hurt yourself. Are you alright?”

His blue eyes snapped back to hers. She’d never seen him look so...defeated.

“I’m so sorry.” He shook his head. Her heart practically snapped in two. She went to approach him, but thought better of it, and sat down on the cushionless couch instead.

She wasn’t afraid of him, but she didn’t want to get too close and overwhelm him.

“Don’t be sorry,” Lo said. “You’re okay, you didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I scared you.”

“You didn’t-"

He eyed her position on the couch pointedly.

"I just got a fright, that’s all," she assured. "Do you want to talk about it?”

Truthfully, he had scared her. But not for the reasons he thought. She wasn’t scared _of_ him, she was scared he was being hurt.

His eyes traced her face, searching. He must’ve found whatever he was looking for, because he nodded.

Bucky cleared his throat, moving so he was sitting slightly more comfortable. His eyes took in the smashed lamp on the floor, and the blankets that had been scattered around the room.

“I dreamt I was back with Pierce, after the fight with Steve on the bridge. I...remembered him, barely, but Pierce had me on the table and was trying to wipe my memory. They kept electrocuting me.”

“I’m so sorry,” Lo said, shaking her head. It didn’t feel like enough, but she didn’t know what else to say.

“Not your fault, Doll.”

He dropped his gaze back to his hands, glaring at the metal one. Lo took a deep breath.

“Can I sit with you?”

He seemed surprised by the question, blue eyes snapping to hers instantly.

“You want to be near me after what just happened? What if I hurt you?”

“You won’t,” She said, adamant. He looked like he was about to protest, but she stood up and marched over to him intently.

His eyes followed her uncertainly, tracing her path from the couch until she was standing right in front of him. Bucky swallowed audibly when she sat down on the bed beside him.

She didn’t say anything, just sat beside him for a moment. There were a hundred different emotions flying across his face. It was far different to the expressionless glare he wore in front of the other Avengers. His mouth opened and closed once before he managed to force out any words.

“I’m _terrified_ , Lo.”

Lo tried to mask her surprise at his admittance.

“Terrified of what?”

“Of myself. Of what I could do, without even meaning to. I’m dangerous, Doll. All it takes is one bad dream- I could have _hurt_ you.”

His voice broke with emotion and sincerity. Lo let out a shaky exhale.

She turned towards him on the bed, reached up with her palm and forced his blue eyes to meet her dark ones.

“But you didn’t. It’s okay, James. It’s okay to be scared... I am too.”

His blue eyes turned pained. 

“Because of me,” He tried to turn away, but she held his jaw tight and didn’t let him.

“Not because of you- _for_ you.”

His brows furrowed in confusion. She continued.

"I heard you screaming. I thought someone was hurting you. I couldn't even think, just came running in to save you."

She smiled meekly and he huffed.

"And I'm scared of other things too. Like your mission tomorrow."

He looked at her in confusion.

“You’re a hero, Bucky- _no,_ ” she said, when he opened his mouth to interrupt. “You are, so shut up."

His mouth snapped shut.

"Part of being a hero means going off to fight the bad guys. I know it’s your job, but that doesn’t stop me from being scared. I’m worried you'll get hurt, or you’ll leave tomorrow... and you won’t come back.”

“I’ll always come back,” he whispered. His hand reached up and he swiped a thumb over her cheek. She didn’t even realise she was crying.

“You better,” she sniffed, blinking away the stray tears. Her eyes stared into his. “As long as you keep coming back, i’ll always be here after a nightmare.”

Bucky inhaled sharply, obviously surprised. She could see the internal battle behind his eyes.

"Always?" 

"Always."

“Okay,” he whispered. 

She dropped her hands from his face and pulled him into a tight hug. Her cheek was pressed against his chest, his face buried in her messy hair. She breathed in the scent of his cologne, or aftershave, and was met with the comforting scent of _Bucky._

He leaned back, hesitant, like he was giving her the chance to pull away. She held on even tighter and let herself get pulled down beside him.

They were lying in his bed, still wrapped up in eachothers arms. She lifted a leg to tangle with his and sighed. He reached over and grabbed the covers off the ground, pulling it over the both of them.

Something metallic went clambering to the floor and she tensed.

“Just the knife,” Bucky whispered, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

Lo couldn’t help it. She chuckled.

“Of _course_ it is. At least now the knifes on the floor and not the bed.”

Bucky went still beneath her. 

_Wait-_

“Bucky...are there knives still on the bed?”

He hesitated. 

_Oh god, am I about to be stabbed?_

“Well... " he began. "Technically, i'm carrying 3. And there's a couple under the pillows...and a few more under the mattress.”

Lo groaned. 

“Seriously? It’s like 2 in the morning, why do you have so many knives?!”

His chest rumbled with a low chuckle beneath her cheek.

“Old habits?”

She rolled her eyes. _Assassins, honestly._

Bucky reached up a hand and ran his warm fingers through her hair, working at her scalp. She felt her eyes flutter shut instantly.

Maybe assassins weren't so bad after all.

His fingers combed through her hair gently, working through the tangles and knots. He scratched near the back of her neck with his nails, and Lo almost moaned out loud. 

_Hell_ , maybe she did, given how he froze beneath her.

She tapped him on the chest, signalling for him to continue, and he chuckled.

Bucky ran his fingers through her hair all night, even after she had fallen asleep on top of his solid chest.

~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Always?"  
> "Always."
> 
> I'm sorry- I couldn't help myself!  
> I hope you guys liked the update. This chapter turned out to be a monster, but I had fun with it. Let me know what you think in the comments below!


	10. Missions, A Dinner Date With Pepper, and New Weapons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! chapter is coming a little early this week because im going away for the weekend and won't have time to update. But my exams are finally over!!! I'm so excited to finally get writing again, this is my first full length fic so it isn't the best, but it's become like my baby and i love it. i hope you guys do too <3.
> 
> Thank you all for reading and commenting! i love reading the comments to hear what you all have to say xx

Lo woke up confused the next morning. It took her a few minutes to realise where she was. She reached out a hand, but the space next to her had long gone cold. _Shit._

She snapped her head up, wiping her tired eyes, and caught sight of a note left on Bucky’s pillow. 

The writing was neat and cursive, a style that was hardly ever seen these days.

_‘Lo,_

_I’m sorry, I know you wanted to say goodbye, but I didn't want to wake you. You look cute when you’re asleep._

_Don’t worry, i’ll come back. I promise._

_Bucky.’_

_I’ll come back._

Memories of last night came flooding back to her. That's what he said, when she told him she was afraid of him getting hurt. _I’ll always come back._

Lo tried to ignore the worry she felt, but it stuck persistently in her chest. The feeling was almost overwhelming, and it reminded her that in the short time since they'd met, Bucky had already become so important to her. She was falling, and according to the worry in her chest, she was falling _hard_.

Lo clutched Bucky's note tight to her chest.

She left his bed and returned to her own room, placing the note carefully on her desk. She caught herself in the mirror as she walked past and physically cringed at the sight. Her hair was a mess after Bucky had run his hands through it all last night.

She looked at the clock. 9am. Assuming they had left on time, the Avengers had been gone for three hours now.

“Friday?” Lo called.

“Yes, Dr. Haynes?” Friday replied.

“Any update on the team?”

“They landed safely in Germany 30 minutes ago. They should be approaching the Hydra base at any moment.”

Lo let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding.

“Okay, keep me updated, will you?”

“Of course. Mr. Stark has prepared a list of tasks for you in his absence. He asked me to give it to you once you awakened.”

“Send it through, please.”

The datapad on Lo’s bed lit up with a holographic list. It wasn’t too terrible, just some designs that Tony wanted worked on. He also left an open slot for her to start on her prosthetics.

“Thanks, Friday.”

Lo dropped the datapad on the bed and walked towards the bathroom for a shower.

~~~~

She grabbed a bite of breakfast from her and Bucky’s kitchen, before grabbing her data pad and heading to the lab.

Lo tried not to think about it, but it seemed her mind was intent on drifting back to Bucky. Friday hadn’t given her any further updates, so she was just hoping and praying everyone was okay.

Lo dumped the datapad on an empty workbench and sat down, looking around the lab. It suddenly felt very lonely without Tony and the team. Lo sighed.

“Hey Friday, is my playlist still in the system?”

The A.I responded almost immediately.

“Of course, Dr. Haynes. Mr. Stark listens to it every Thursday.”

“Hah,” Lo chuckled. 

She created a playlist the last time she worked for Stark Industries. Tony had always insisted his music was better, but according to Friday, he still kept her playlist and listened to it every week. The thought made Lo smile. She’d have to remember to bring it up with Tony, once they returned. 

_If_ they returned, her brain helpfully reminded. Lo shook her head.

“Could you play it please, Friday?”

The A.I didn't reply, but a second later a familiar tune filled the air. Something rocky and upbeat. Lo smiled.

She was working for Stark with classic rock in the background. Just like old times. Maybe if she threw herself into work hard enough, she’d stop worrying about Bucky and the team. 

Yeah, probably not.

Lo settled in at a work bench and brought up the list of things Tony had set out for her. 

WEAPONS DEVELOPMENT was in all capital letters at the top of the list.

Lo sighed. It still made her feel a little uncomfortable, knowing that she was creating the kind of things she promised to save people from. But she remembered she was making them for the good guys, to protect people like Bucky, and it didn’t make her feel so bad anymore.

Actually, the idea of making something to protect Bucky made her feel _better._

Lo was suddenly struck with an idea.

What if she designed him something new? Something she was sure would keep him safe?

Of course he had his guns and many, many knives. But they were all old tech. She knew she could make him something better. And the thought of him carrying something of hers, something she knew would protect him, eased the worry that kept crawling around in her chest.

Lo looked at her list of tasks once more. Tony had asked her to import her designs for Cap’s latest shield, as well as Bucky’s arm, into the system. But he also left an open space for her to work on her prosthetics. It would be a perfect amount of time for her to start on Bucky's weapon.

Lo nodded to herself, her mind made up, and set to work on the first two tasks. ACDC’s “Shoot to Thrill” started playing in the background, making her grin.

She pulled up various holograms and began importing the blueprints she and Shuri had used to design Cap’s shield, as well as Bucky's arm. It was easy enough, considering they had done it so recently, the blueprints were still at the front of her memory. So, less than 90 minutes later, both prints were successfully imported into Starks archive.

Lo immediately crossed them off her list and began working on Bucky's weapon. She pulled up the designs for the current gun he was using. 

According to Starks records, it was a M249 SAW Paratrooper with a 100 round mag. A nice gun, no doubt about it, but definitely outdated. Lo could upgrade the magazine, suppressor and scope, and by using vibranium it would be significantly lighter and less prone to overheating. She could even increase the fire rate, for better use as a machine gun, but attach separate scopes that allow the gun to be transformed into a sniper. 

She could even design attachments for night vision and heat detection, everything Bucky could ever possibly need into one, single weapon.

Lo grinned, starting on her blueprints.

~~~~

“Dr. Haynes, you have a visitor.”

Friday's electronic voice snapped Lo back to the present. She had been at work for several hours now, losing herself in her designs.

Wait, _visitor?_

“Who is it?” Lo asked Friday. She waited for an electronic response, but was instead met with a warm feminine voice.

“An old friend.”

Lo spun around to see Pepper Potts standing at the door to the workshop.

“Pepper!” She grinned, running over to give her a hug. “What are you doing here?!”

“I came to visit,” Pepper smiled, “I needed to stop by the compound anyway, but I haven’t seen you since you left Stark Industries. How’ve you been?”

“Oh, you know, busy as always,” Lo huffed out a laugh.

Pepper spun around, taking in the mess that was the workshop. Her eyebrow quirked in amusement. 

“Sometimes I swear you could be Tony’s long lost daughter.”

“God I hope not,” Lo chuckled, “But given his history, a kid wouldn’t be all that surprising.”

“Don’t I know it,” Pepper rolled her eyes jokingly. “Anyways, what are you working on? I was surprised when Tony said he’d hired you again. You seemed pretty set on staying out of an office, last time we spoke.”

Lo led her over to the designs she had for Bucky’s new weapon.

“I know. A couple years ago, all I wanted was to get out and travel. But after working in Wakanda with Shuri, i’ve had a bit of a change of heart. I still want to help people, obviously, but I realised that...I can still do that from a lab. And maybe work on some designs of my own, too. Not just prosthetics, but stuff like this,” she gestured to three large screens that were all projecting her ideas and designs for Bucky’s gun.

“It’s impressive,” Pepper said, her eyebrows raised. “I’m glad you came back. It’s nice to have someone like you on the team. You keep Tony in check, help take some of the pressure off of his shoulders. He trusts you, ya know?”

“Nobody can keep Tony in check. Except maybe you,” Lo grinned. Pepper laughed. 

“I try,” she smiled, getting a closer look at the scope Lo was designing. “So who’s this for? You?”

“God no,” Lo shook her head. “It’s for Sergeant Barnes, actually.”

“Ahh,” Pepper said, a knowing glint in her eyes. “Tony said you and Barnes seemed...close.”

“Did he now?” Lo grinned. Pepper just hummed.

“Bucky isn’t part of the reason you decided to take the job, is he?” Pepper asked, playing coy. Lo groaned.

 _Damn Stark for telling on her. Damn Pepper for being freakishly observant._ Lo was never a fan of lying.

“Partly,” she admitted. Pepper’s grin widened.

“I hear you helped him. Got that nasty Hydra business out of his head.”

“Yeah, that's part of what we were doing in Wakanda. Shuri asked me to help, and I couldn't say no. He deserves a second chance, you know?”

Pepper shrugged.

“I’ll admit, I don't know him personally. I found out about him after what happened to Tony’s parents. But it sounds like he’s had a rough journey. I’m glad you could help him.”

“Me too,” Lo smiled, thinking back to last night. “He’s helped me a lot, too.”

“You seem different,” Pepper commented, her bright eyes observing Lo. “In a good way.”

Lo waited for her to elaborate, but she never did. 

“Have you heard any news from Tony?” Lo asked.

Pepper’s mouth formed a tense line and she shook her head.

“Not yet. But no news can also be good news.”

Lo studied the designs in front of her, thinking about Bucky, who was out fighting bad guys somewhere in Germany right now. 

“I hope so,” she said.

Pepper studied her for a moment.

“You know, sometimes I think it’s worse to be us than it is to be them. Tony gets to go off and be a hero, and I have to sit here and just pray that this fight isn’t his last.” Pepper said.

_Us._

The ease at which Pepper had grouped them together, both waiting for someone to come home. It made something inside Lo twist. With nervousness, or hope, she wasn’t sure.

Lo let out a shaky exhale.

“I know what you mean. It feels like torture, sitting here with no idea whats going on, or if they’re okay. How do you handle it?” Lo chuckled, but there was no mirth behind it.

“I wish I could say you get used to it, but you really don’t,” Pepper said, shooting her a self deprecating smile. “You just have to wait. Company helps, though.”

Lo looked at her quizzically.

“Want to join me for dinner? I don’t fly back to my apartment until later. Plus, you look like you could use a break.” Pepper grinned. Lo rolled her eyes but returned the smile.

“I’d love to, just give me a chance to pack up here and go freshen up.”

Pepper nodded. 

“Meet me in the lounge?”

“Perfect. Oh and Pepper-” Lo called, just as Pepper was about to exit the workshop. The tall blonde looked at her expectantly. “Do you mind if we keep this project between us? I think i’m gonna make it a surprise.”

Peppers eyes flicked back to the designs of Bucky’s weapon and she grinned. 

“Your secret is safe with me,” she winked. Lo disconnected the screens and hid the designs in a secure file. Pepper left the workshop, her high heels clicking satisfyingly along the ground.

With the blueprints successfully hidden, Lo grabbed her data pad and headed back to her room- Bucky’s room- _their_ room- to freshen up and meet Pepper for dinner.

~~~~

Lo and Pepper didn’t go very far from the lab. They had some takeout delivered to the compound and just ate in the lounge. It was still strange without all the Avengers around, everything felt too quiet. Lo had to agree with Pepper- having some company was definitely needed.

It was a good dinner, despite everything. Lo and Pepper talked about everything that had happened from the time she left Stark Industries. Her travels, Pepper and Tonys break up, the fight between Tony and Cap- everything. 

Pepper was glad that the whole issue had been resolved. Apparently Tony had taken the fight with Cap badly, as was to be expected. Cap hadn’t taken it much better, but at least he had Bucky to focus on. Tony had Rhodey, and Pepper too, but it wasn’t easy. 

By the end of the evening Lo’s throat was dry and sore from so much talking. Pepper looked at the clock and sighed, realising her plane would be here soon. Happy was picking her up in one of the jets.

They hugged goodbye. Lo even walked Pepper out to the plane, waving at Happy as they left. 

“Call me if you need anything, alright?” Pepper called, before stepping onto the plane.

“Yeah, yeah,” Lo grinned.

Pepper raised her brows.

“I mean it.”

Lo swallowed. She forgot how scary Pepper could be when she was serious.

“I promise.”

Pepper grinned, losing all traces of seriousness.

“Good.”

She entered the plane and the door locked behind her. Lo huffed out a laugh, waiting for the plane to disappear completely before walking back inside.

It was dark now, the sun set long ago. Lo could already tell that she wasn’t going to sleep much tonight.

“Dr. Haynes?” Friday’s robotic voice called.

“Yes?” she replied, heart race picking up.

“Mr. Stark has asked me to inform you that the trip was a success. Everyone is safe. They will be returning shortly.”

Lo’s shoulders sagged and she gasped in relief. Thank God.

“So everyone’s okay? No one got hurt? Did they manage to get what they needed from Hydra-”

“Everyone is safe,” Friday assured. “Mr. Stark will tell you everything once he returns.”

“Right,” Lo nodded, her heart still beating erratically in her chest. “ETA?”

“Early hours tomorrow morning. The team is staying in a secure location to recover.”

 _Everyone is safe._ Lo reminded herself. _Bucky’s okay._

“Okay. Okay, good. Thank you, Friday.”

Lo looked up at a nearby clock. 10pm.

She definitely wasn’t getting any sleep. She might as well do something productive.

Lo went back to the workshop and brought up the designs for Bucky’s modified M249.

She had already increased the firing rate and magazine size, as well as designed the interchangeable scopes to allow for short range automatic fire _and_ long range sniping. There were separate detachable lenses for night vision, heat sensors and infrared. The silencer she designed ensured the gun would be completely silent, and with vibranium the whole thing would be practically indestructible. As far as guns go, it was beautiful. Perfect for Bucky.

Lo hummed to herself, turning the hologram of the gun in her hands. 

The more she looked at it, the more she realised that it was almost _too_ good. Something like this, in enemy hands, would cause absolute chaos. She had to ensure that the only person who could use it was Bucky. But how?

Lo’s mind immediately went back to the door handle on her and Bucky's apartment. It was controlled by heat and fingerprint scanners to ensure that only select people could unlock the door.

“Friday? Have you got the biometrics for Bucky’s room?” Lo called.

“I do.” Friday replied.

“Could you send them through to me, please?”

“Of course, Doctor.”

Less than a second later Bucky’s biometric data appeared on a new hologram. Lo pulled up the details, transferring the coding onto the handle of Bucky’s new M294.

 _There_ , Lo grinned. Now the gun could only be operated by Bucky. If anyone else tried, the sensors would scan their fingerprints and record them, but the gun would not operate. The chamber would jam and the trigger would lock in place- basically making the whole thing useless.

Lo took one last look over the whole design before grinning to herself. It was perfect. Now she just had to find the vibranium to make it.

She checked the time. 12am. It would still be daylight in Wakanda.

“Friday, put me through to Shuri, please.”

“Right away, Dr. Haynes,” the robotic voice replied. Lo’s datapad lit up with an outgoing call.

A minute later, Shuri’s grinning face appeared on the screen.

“Lolita!” Shuri said in surprise, “what, did you miss me already?”

“Of course I did,” Lo grinned, rolling her eyes.

“Good. I miss you too. This place feels so much emptier without you and the boys.”

Lo smiled at Shuri’s choice of words. Steve and Bucky were technically old enough to be their grandparents, yet both Shuri and Lo had started calling them ‘the boys’. It felt oddly personal. Obviously Cap and Bucky were their own people, but Lo had certainly started to feel protective over them. They really did feel like her boys.

“I know. They left for the mission this morning. This whole day has just felt off without them here.”

Shuri’s eyes looked over her, assessing.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah!” Lo rushed, “i’m fine, just been a little worried. But Tony called to say that the mission went well and everyones okay, so i'm alright now.”

“Good,” Shuri nodded, and then her eyes lit up with something mischievous. Lo felt her brows raise. “How was your first night staying with Bucky?”

Lo felt her cheeks heat up, remembering the feeling of falling asleep in Bucky’s arms, his warm hand running through her hair. She cleared her throat.

“Um...interesting, I suppose. It started off a little rocky, he had a nightmare, so I had to wake him up and make sure he was okay. But we were fine after that.”

“Did he hurt you?” Shuri said, her dark eyes looking worried.

“No, No! He didn’t hurt me. I was worried he’d hurt himself, more than anything. But we were both okay.”

“Good,” Shuri nodded. “Is there something you wanted to talk about? I just realised the time, it must be late in New York.”

“Yes, actually! I’ve started working on this design. A new gun for Bucky, to replace his old one. I was hoping to make it out of vibranium?” Lo’s voice went high in pleading, and she may have pouted a little.

“You want to use my country's vibranium to build your boyfriend a gun?”

_Why did it sound so much worse when Shuri said it?_

“Please?” Lo tried, chuckling to herself. 

Shuri rolled her eyes.

“You’re lucky we’re best friends. I can send some over tonight, just tell me how much you need. And don’t tell Stark I gave it to you because then he’ll want some too!”

Lo couldn’t help but laugh. “You know I love you, right? 15kgs should be enough to cover it.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Shuri grinned. “I’ll send it over tonight. I can put it on one of our drones, if you want. It should be there in a couple hours.”

“Perfect. You’re the best Shuri, thank you.”

“Don’t you forget it,” Shuri said, winking. 

The screen went black, as Shuri ended the call.

Lo would have to do something to pay her friend back. She knew Wakanda had a lot of vibranium, but they never gave it to outsiders. Lo was very lucky to be given any.

She pulled up the designs, making any final adjustments as she waited for the parcel to arrive. Happy with her blueprint, she prepared the machines, inputting the design into the flashy equipment. Less than an hour later, Friday announced an incoming package. Lo went down stairs to collect it, smiling at the droid on the doorstep. She grabbed a sticky note she had prepared and attached it to the machine.

 _‘Thanks again! I owe you one x’_ The note read.

Lo grabbed the vibranium, huffing a little at its weight, and carried it back upstairs to the lab. 

She measured out the amount required for Bucky’s gun, which was actually only about 7kg, and added it to the machines. 

There Lo sat, for the next 3 hours, welding and tinkering away at her new design until it was completely finished.

~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay Pepper! I was pretty nervous about writing her character because she's such a strong and amazing woman. Hopefully i did her justice! I hope you guys liked this update, i know it was a little shorter than the last one and there was no bucky :( but i promise he'll be back in the next update!
> 
> Thanks again for reading and let me know what you thought in the comments below!


	11. Debriefs and... Dating? What?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get ready, this chapter is huuuge hahaha. I hope you all enjoy it <3
> 
> This update is dedicated to everyone who left comments on the last chapter- it made me so happy reading them and inspired me to keep writing even more! Your comments really mean a lot and it makes me so happy that you're enjoying the story <3
> 
> Hugs and kisses,
> 
> Artemis

The sun had come up, light streaming in through the huge workshop windows. Lo huffed, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. Her hands and arms were covered in grease and grime. Her glasses had smudges of metal residue and she had been to pee at least 12 times due to all the coffee she was drinking.

But finally, _finally_ , as the clock hit 5am, Lo finished.

She grinned, stepping back to admire her work.

She had dyed the metal black, with silver accents. Like Bucky’s arm, but in reverse colours. The gun was ridiculously huge, but she knew it would be a perfect size for Bucky.

“Dr. Haynes, the team will be arriving at approximately 8am. Would you like me to organise breakfast?”

“No, that’s okay,” She smiled. Tony must have asked Friday to keep a metaphorical eye on her. She tended to forget to eat, and sleep, when she got too involved in her work. “I need to go shower, I can eat later. But Friday- I need a favour.”

“Yes?”

“I’m keeping this a surprise from Bucky. I don’t want to put it in our room in case he finds it. If I leave it here, can you make sure that no one can access it?”

“I will open a separate compartment for you. The only person with the clearance to unlock it will be yourself.”

Beside her, a part of the workshop wall hissed and popped open. Lo felt her brows raise in surprise. She hadn’t even noticed that it was a secret door.

Taking the weapon, gingerly, Lo placed it in the small compartment and shut the door. It hissed again, disappearing until it blended in with the surrounding wall.

“Thanks Friday. No one but me, yeah?”

“Yes, Doctor.”

Lo grinned, feeling a wave of excitement, and nausea, over how Bucky would react when she gave it to him. Would he appreciate it? Would he hate it? Oh god, it was too late to be worrying about that now. She had _literally_ just finished it.

Lo took the designs for the gun and placed them back in a secure file that could only be accessed by her. She didn’t care if Tony found the blue prints, but it was meant to be a surprise. Plus, one could never be too careful.

Lo left the lab, covering her tracks and all evidence of her work on Bucky’s new weapon. She went back to her and Bucky’s room, longing for a hot shower.

~~~~

By the time she was all showered up, it was only 5:30am. Lo groaned, it would be another few hours until Bucky returned. She wasn’t hungry, her stomach too unsettled for food. 

Lo sighed, resigning herself to bed. She didn’t think she would get much sleep, but it was worth a try. 

Surprisingly, less than 10 minutes later, Lo was snoring softly.

~~~~

_“Lo,”_ A voice whispered. Lo groaned and shook her head, wanting to be left alone.

 _“Lolita,”_ the voice said, a little louder. Lo lifted her arm and swatted in the direction of the noise. She was met with a deep, rumbling chuckle.

Lo’s eyes sprung open. She knew that almost- laugh.

 _“Bucky!”_ she called, throwing herself out of bed. Bucky was sitting on the edge of her bed where he had obviously been trying to wake her. She squealed and practically threw herself at him, her arms wrapping around his neck.

He huffed out a laugh, sounding surprised, but his arms wrapped tightly around her waist.

“Told you i’d come back,” he said. She could hear the small smile in his voice. 

“You did,” she agreed. Realising that he had just come back from a literal battle, she leapt off him again. “Oh my god I forgot, i’m so sorry, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“I’m fine, Sunshine. I’m fine,” he assured, pulling her back onto his lap so he could hug her again. She wrapped her arms tight around his neck once more, breathing in his scent.

_He’s safe. He’s okay._

The overwhelming relief she felt at that was enough to floor her. Her heart was both so full it was bursting out of her chest, and yet at the same time, she felt like she could finally breathe again.

“Thank you for the note,” she said, shyly. “Although I do wish you would’ve woken me up.”

He chuckled at her.

“Trust me, Doll. I couldn’t. You were too cute, all wrapped up in my blankets. I almost didn’t leave.”

The raw honesty in his voice took the breath out of her lungs. Her cheeks went even redder.

“You blushing on me, Doll? I can feel your face burning up.”

Lo could hear the grin in his voice. She didn’t have the courage to meet his gaze, choosing to instead bury her face into his chest.

“Hey, hey,” He cooed at her, pushing gently at her arms. She relented, lifting her face from his toned chest. His human hand went under her chin, guiding her face until her eyes locked with his blue ones. “Stop hiding.”

She giggled at him, his grin widening at the sound.

“You okay? I was worried about you while I was gone,” he said seriously.

“ _You_ were worried about _me?_ ” she asked incredulously. As if she was the one fighting Hydra and putting her life at risk, not him.

“I kind of always worry about you, Doll,” Bucky admitted.

 _Oh,_ she thought, studying his eyes, which were full of steel blue sincerity. 

Bucky's eyes were always so open with her, as if he let her see right through him. His whole expression was so unguarded- a complete opposite to the closed off mask he wore around the others. It made her feel privileged, happy that he trusted her enough to be so open and vulnerable and honest.

“I’m fine,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s _you_ I was worried about...Thank you, for coming back.”

“Always, remember?”

She couldn’t quite answer. Some emotion had wrapped itself tight around her throat. Instead she nodded, pulling him back into a tight hug so that he couldn’t see her suspiciously wet eyes.

“Always,” she managed to croak out.

There was a knock on the front door. Lo felt Bucky still beneath her.

 _“Buck? It’s me,”_ a voice called from behind the door. Steve’s voice. Bucky relaxed beneath her.

She let him go, climbing off of his lap so they could go and greet Steve. Bucky’s eyes tracked her, lingering on the bare expanse of her legs.

 _Right_ , she had only gone to bed in pajama shorts. They weren’t exactly modest ones, either.

“Buck?” Steve called.

Bucky seemed to snap out of it. Literally. He snapped his head away from her bare legs so fast it looked almost painful. 

Something about the gesture made Lo’s skin feel hot. 

He cleared his throat, offering her a hand to help her stand. His eyes refused to meet hers.

She couldn't help but grin, seeing him so worked up. Just a flash of her thigh and he was all flustered.

Lo grabbed his hand, letting him pull her gently to her feet. 

“Why don’t you go get Steve? I need to change.” she said.

Bucky let out a breath of relief, nodding. She bit her lip to stop from laughing, afraid she'd embarrass him.

He left her room, shutting the door behind him and sending one last longing glance at her legs. Lo shook her head, looking around for something to change into. She was finding it difficult to focus on anything other than the memory of his blue eyes and the way they had traced her skin. 

Her cheeks were heating for a whole other reason now.

Lo heard the front door open and Steve’s voice filled the air. She pulled on a pair of tight jeans and a shirt, hurrying to meet them.

Steve smiled at her as she exited her bedroom. She ran over to pull him into a hug.

“Steve! I’m so glad you’re okay,” she cried, squeezing him.

“Hey Lo,” he chuckled, squeezing back before releasing her.

“Friday said the mission was a success, no one got hurt?”

“Everyone is safe,” he confirmed. “Couple of bumps and bruises, but nothing we couldn’t handle. We’re actually about to have a debrief now, if you wanted to come along.”

“Am I allowed to?” She asked, surprised. Team meetings were usually pretty classified. Lo had gone to the first one, but that was because she practically knew what was happening already. This however was new information, and not something that was typically told to anyone besides the Avengers.

“Of course,” Cap said. “You’re helping us out. You’re a part of this now, Lo. If you’d like to be.”

Her eyes met Bucky’s uncertainly. He smiled at her in reassurance.

“Um, alright then,” Lo said, willing her voice to stay steady.

Cap nodded, seemingly happy with her answer.

“Good. Let’s go, then.”

~~~~

They left her and Bucky’s room at pace, walking towards the conference room. Steve seemed relaxed, which Lo took as a good sign. 

It was strange, she realised as they walked. Within a month her life had turned completely around. She went from performing surgeries in god knows where, to living in the Avengers compound with Bucky. She was part of the team now, something she had never seen coming.

Bucky was another thing she had never seen coming. She had known him for such a short amount of time, yet he already meant so much to her. He made her feel so warm and happy and giddy, he looked at her like she was something important. Like something he wanted to protect.

Lo looked up at him beside her. His long dark hair was down to his shoulders, hiding his clear blue eyes. Lo knew, just from looking at him, that she would do anything for him. It didn’t make sense, they hadn’t known each other all that long, but she couldn’t find it within herself to care. She liked him. A lot. The realisation made her nervous, because feelings were always complicated. And Bucky wasn’t exactly the most stable person. 

But it didn’t matter. She wouldn’t force her feelings onto him, or try and stay away from him in any way. She just accepted that right now, she cared for him, maybe too much. The rest she could figure out later.

Bucky sensed her staring, and his blue eyes met hers. She felt his hand reach out to brush against hers, letting her know he was there. The sensation sent a tingle all the way up her arm, and she itched to reach out and grab his hand.

His blue eyes were questioning, so she smiled, small but genuine. His gaze still assessed her, looking her up and down as if trying to find the source of her discomfort.

Steve entered the conference room first. Bucky walked in behind him, pulling Lo gently beside him so that his body half covered hers.

He always did things like that. Tried to hide her, using his own body as some kind of shield. Lo should probably find it annoying, or maybe offensive, that he acted like her bodyguard. Instead she found it endearing. She recognised that it was his way of protecting her from situations that she didn’t even realise were threatening. But, Lo realised, to Bucky, every situation with lots of people was probably threatening.

It was another reminder of what he’d been through. Now he was always cautious and assessing. It hurt, remembering what Hydra had done to him and how it still affected him now. But it was a part of him, and she couldn’t fault him for that.

She wondered, though, if this was what he meant when he said he always worried about her. Even walking into a team debrief, he was concerned about her safety. More so than his own.

She hadn’t thought about it too much in the past, but it made her realise just how caring Bucky was. Others didn’t always see it, because he showed affection in more subtle ways. But he was always looking out for those he cared about. Always. Like a freaking guard dog.

“Haynes,” Tony grinned as they entered, “Pepper told me she came to see you.”

“She did,” Lo smiled. “It was nice. I never thought i’d say it, but that workshop is lonely without you.”

“I _am_ great company,” Tony smirked.

“Mmhmm,” Lo hummed non committedly. “You know, Friday told me you still listen to my playlist every week. Did you really miss me that much once I left?”

Tony huffed, calling his A.I a traitor, among many other expletives. Lo just laughed at him.

Cap took a seat near the front of the room, where Tony was standing. Bucky ducked and found a chair near the back of the room. Lo followed.

So far only Nat, Wanda and Vision were there. Soon Clint and the others arrived, each person grabbing a chair around the huge table.

“Right. Team debrief,” Tony announced, clapping his hands. Friday pulled up footage of the attack they made on the Hydra base.

“So, we arrived on the base later than expected. The whole place looked abandoned, and no Hydra goons were in sight. I wanted to enter the base, but Barnes here warned us that the doors were likely armed and covered in traps. We didn’t want to try and get in without the access codes, so we waited for Hydra to arrive. Just before we gave up and went to the London base, a whole bunch of jeeps pulled up,” Tony said, gesturing to the projection.

On screen, 30 or so armed Hydra guards arrived at the base in black jeeps. They were carrying bags of equipment, but Lo couldn't tell what was inside.

“We stopped them, obviously,” Tony continued.

On the screen Iron Man came flying into view, followed closely by Thor and Vision. They were obviously discussing some kind of surrender, with what looked to be Hydras team leader. Suddenly, the rest of the guards pulled out their weapons, and Lo felt her breath hitch.

When it was clear Hydra was about to open fire on Tony and the others, red energy came swirling over the first line of guards and brought them to their knees. Wanda and Cap stepped into frame, taking down the guards closest to them. Shots fired through the air, from both sides, as Hydra opened fire. Nat appeared too, alongside Clint, taking down several guards.

Lo held her breath as a familiar figure walked into the frame. Bucky had his gun held tight to his chest, firing at whichever guards were closest to him. 

It felt...strange, to see him like that. Forced to kill once again. Lo knew it was necessary, and god, Bucky deserved a little revenge after all the horrific things Hydra did to him. But still, she wondered how he felt about it.

Lo looked up at Bucky beside her. His face was carefully blank, but with every shot she saw his mouth tighten into a grimace. Lo reached a hand under the table and grabbed whatever hand was closest to her. 

He looked at her, that same blankness still on his face, but his warm metal fingers interlocked with hers. Her eyes returned to the screen.

She hated to say it, but it was almost mesmerizing. The team worked in perfect unison, taking down Hydra guards with efficiency. Lo watched as a few more jeeps arrived on screen.

There was a huge bang and Clint fell to the ground, clutching his leg. Blood began pouring from what appeared to be a bullet wound. Bucky rushed over to cover for him, firing his rifle even faster and with the same deadly accuracy, while Cap and Thor took out the guard that had shot Clint. 

Slowly, less and less Hydra guards remained. The team had taken them all out, including the reinforcements. Some appeared to be unconscious, thanks to Wanda’s gift, but there were definitely more than a few casualties.

“We took the duffel bags, which were filled with weapons and medical equipment, as well as their plans for the super soldiers. According to the documents, there were three super soldiers left in existence, and they were all inside the Munich base. These guys had been used only a handful of times, apparently they were even worse to control than the ones in Syria,” Tony said.

“Hydra planned to go inside and wake them up. They brought weapons and medical equipment to try and force them into submission. They wanted to use the soldiers to find the Avengers compound and take us out, one by one,” Nat said, her face as neutral as ever.

 _Shit,_ Lo thought. She assumed Hydra was targeting the super soldiers to go for the government or something. She didn’t realise they were trying to kill the _Avengers._

“Once we stopped them, we were able to use the codes they had to infiltrate the base, kill the super soldiers inside, and destroy the place. Nat managed to get some intel from the computers inside, but most of it was useless. There was no more detail on how they would attack the compound, or why, or even what they’d do afterwards. Hell, I don’t even know if they thought that far ahead,” Tony continued.

“You didn’t try to save the soldiers?” Lo asked, before she even realised what she was doing. However the moment the words left her mouth, she knew she meant what she said.

Maybe she was slightly biased, but it didn’t seem fair to just kill the soldiers. What if they were like Bucky? What if they could be saved?

As if sensing her train of thought, Bucky answered before Tony got the chance. He shook his head sadly.

“Trust me, Doll. It had to happen. I’ve seen these guys before, there’s no humanity left in ‘em. Hydra killed them long before we did.”

His metal hand squeezed hers, but she couldn’t fight the dejection creeping into her chest. And then all at once her sadness disappeared and was replaced by a renewed anger. She was pissed. Pissed at Hydra for being sick, torturous bastards. Pissed at the world for being so cruel, and yet not cruel enough. Pissed that the man next to her, who was so brave and strong, had been through so much pain.

Tony directed everyone's attention back to the screen, where the team had just entered the base. The footage skipped ahead, and the team left, carrying some of the equipment from inside. Cap and Bucky grabbed the bags the Hydra guards had left in the jeeps. Nat exited the building last, the place going up in flames behind her. 

The video stopped playing with a soft click.

“So, all in all, the mission was a success. We found the last super soldiers and ruined Hydra’s plans to use them for world domination. No one got hurt, besides Clint, but who cares about him,” Tony deadpanned. Clint scoffed.

“You know what Tony? One of these days I might just _miss,_ and shoot an arrow straight through that big head of yours.”

Natasha sniggered, and Lo couldn’t help but chuckle at Tony’s overly offended expression.

“Wow, okay. I’m going to pretend you _didn’t_ just say that,” Tony said, ignoring Clint who was now pulling the finger at him.

“What about the leak in Shield? The one that gave the location of the super soldiers to Hydra?” Cap asked.

“Yeah, i’m still working on that part,” Tony sighed, clearly frustrated by the lack of progress. “It’s taking a while, I have to do everything discreetly so Shield doesn’t find out what i’m up to. But whoever leaked the file was good. I can’t trace which computer it came from, or even which employee was logged in.”

“You’ll get there,” Natasha assured, just barely nodding her head.

“Yeah, if I don’t die of old age first,” Tony huffed. Rhodey rolled his eyes.

“Stop being so dramatic. We both know you’re too pretentious to let something as basic as old age kill you.”

“Yeah, yeah whatever,” Tony muttered.

“So the leak, they’re still out there. That means Hydra is still alive. The fight isn’t over,” Wanda said, looking upset.

“Maybe not the whole fight,” Tony allowed. “But this fight is. We did good, people- small victories, and all that. We still can’t trust Shield, obviously, but there’s also no super soldiers left. Well, besides these two,” Tony gestured to Steve and Bucky. “We’ve ruined Hydra’s plan, it’ll take months before they’ll be ready to attack again. And until then, i’ll keep working on finding out who leaked Shield files to Hydra, and we can keep searching for more information. But in the meantime, I think we should celebrate.”

“Celebrate?” Cap said, suspiciously.

“Yeah, why not? Let’s have a few drinks. We deserve it,” Tony argued.

“It’s never just a ‘few drinks’ with you, Tony. You always turn it into a party,” Nat said.

“A party? What a splendid idea Romanoff!” Tony yelled excitedly, pointing at her like a child.

“I agree with Stark. Today we are victorious, and victory deserves to be rewarded.” Thor said, lifting his hammer in salute.

“Blondey agrees, we’re doing it. 8pm in the lounge. I’ll bring some guests.” Tony smirked.

Cap rolled his eyes, but there was no malice behind the gesture. The rest of the team began filtering out of the conference room. Lo waited for Bucky to stand, after most of the crowd had gone first, and followed him back to their room.

~~~~

Neither of them spoke for a while. The halls of the residential building were empty, filled only by the sounds of their footsteps and Lo’s breathing. She knew Bucky was probably breathing too, but he was deadly silent. 

_Must be a spy thing,_ Lo wondered. 

She wasn’t sure what kind of mood he was in. She could tell he was still tense after the meeting, not that Lo could blame him. Watching that footage had certainly made her tense, too.

Lo had always felt anxious watching the Avengers fight on the news. But it was nothing like the way she felt now. She cared about Bucky, a lot. And seeing him on screen, dodging and fighting bad guys, had left her rattled. She couldn’t wait to give him his new gun, desperate to know he would be better protected in the next fight.

Maybe it was overstepping. She knew she didn’t have a right to be overprotective of him. He could look after himself. But she couldn’t help herself. She needed the peace of mind. 

Whether he accepted the gun or not, that was entirely up to him. But Lo really, _really_ hoped he would.

They arrived on their floor, passing Steve’s door and heading to their own. Bucky’s shoulders were hunched, and although his hair was covering most of his expression, Lo was willing to bet he was scowling. She was determined to put an end to that.

Bucky was just unlocking the door to their room when Lo finally spoke.

“So soldier, you gonna go to the party tonight?” she asked, keeping her tone light and playful.

Bucky sent her an incredulous look, as if to say, _what do you think?_

She grinned up at him. Bucky definitely wasn’t the big party type, but Lo could be very persuasive when she wanted to be. 

“Come on, Sarge. You deserve a fun night out.”

“I don’t know if one of Stark's parties is exactly what i’d call _fun_ , sweetheart,” he joked. His tone had lost some seriousness, but his shoulders were still tense. Lo took that as a good sign.

“Oh come on- booze, girls, music, what more could a guy want? Besides, I could use the company,” she smiled.

His face shuttered, and his eyes immediately went to the floor.

“You sure you want to go with someone like _me?_ ” he said.

_Someone like him?_

_Oh._

“You’re not worried about Hydra. You’re angry at _yourself_ ,” Lo said, finally understanding.

“You saw me up there, Doll,” he said, shaking his head. “I acted just like him. Like the _soldier_.”

Something about his tone sent a shiver through her, and she reached a hand out to clasp his elbow. 

“That’s not you anymore,” Lo assured.

“You sure about that? I killed people, just like he did. Didn’t even hesitate-”

“They were Hydra guards, they deserved it-”

“I know they deserved it, but that doesn’t matter. I'm a killer. I’m a fucking monster, you shouldn’t be anywhere near me-”

“Bucky-”

“I’m serious, Doll, just look what happened the other night, when I had that nightmare. You shouldn’t be around someone like me-”

“ _Bucky!_ ”

Her shouting pulled him out of his rambling, and Bucky’s eyes snapped up to meet hers.

“You don’t get to make decisions for me. If I want to be around you then I will. Unless you don’t want me to, then i’ll go, but not because you think it's ‘for my own good’ or some other bullshit. That night in Wakanda, when we kissed, I told you you deserved me and I meant it. I know who you are, James. I know what you’re capable of. And I also know that you are the bravest, strongest, most caring person I have ever met,” Lo breathed, trying to blink away the tears that were suddenly clouding her vision. 

“I like you, Bucky Barnes. Whatever the hell that means. You aren’t a monster, you’re a fucking hero. You covered Clint when he got shot. You saved us all when you stopped Hydra from waking those super soldiers. You’re a good person-”

She was prepared to continue, but was suddenly cut off by a pair of soft pink lips covering her own.

Bucky immediately wrapped his arms around her waist, hoisting her up so he no longer had to bend down to kiss her. 

Lo moaned, pathetic and whiney, her hands reaching up to tangle in his brown locks as she returned his kiss. Her brain was short circuiting, she couldn’t remember a single thing she was saying. All she could focus on was Bucky’s lips pressing forcefully onto hers, his tongue darting out to trace the line of her bottom lip.

He reached a hand behind him, still holding her off the ground with his metal arm, like she weighed nothing, and unlocked the door. They went stumbling in after it.

Bucky kicked the door shut behind him, turning to hold her up against the nearest wall while she wrapped her legs tight around his waist. 

His mouth moved from her lips, tracing dangerously hot kisses along her jaw and down her neck. He broke off to nibble on her earlobe ever so gently-

“Bucky-” she gasped, her voice coming out huskier than she expected.

He growled against her, moving his head to plant more hot kisses onto her neck.

Her hands reached between them for his shirt, clutching it tightly in her fist. She tugged, gently at first, and then hard when he failed to get the message.

Bucky chuckled, his hot breath sending goosebumps along her arms and over her chest. 

He pulled back for a second, grabbing the collar of his shirt with one hand and yanking it over his head.

Suddenly his torso was bare to her. And damn if Lo’s mouth wasn’t watering at the sight. His abs were constricted, holding her up against the wall. She dropped her hands from his hair to his back, tracing the muscles with her nails and groaning as each one flexed and moved. She couldn’t stay quiet even if she wanted to. Not when he felt this good against her.

Bucky’s flesh hand went wandering, trailing past her waist and down to cup her ass through her jeans. She almost moaned again, but his lips caught hers in another fiery kiss.

His teeth clashed with hers, messy and desperate, and she dug her nails into the muscles of his shoulders. This earned a particularly strong groan from him.

”Sweetheart-” he tried, breaking their kiss.

Lo kept kissing him, one of her hands coming over his front to trace along his chest, where his metal arm met skin.

“Lo- Baby-”

Lo knew he was trying to get her attention, but he needed to stop with those pet names. Every one was only fueling her on more and more.

Bucky pulled his lips away from hers reluctantly, his chest heaving against hers. 

“I-We-” he shook his head, “We have to stop now, before I lose control.”

“And what if I want you to lose control?” Lo said, in a voice that didn’t sound like her own.

“Not yet,” he said, lowering her gently back to her feet.

Now that he was no longer crowding her senses, Lo felt reason creep back into her. Right, they probably shouldn’t do anything serious just yet. Not when she’d just given him a whole speech on how much she liked him.

_Oh shit._

She really said that. 

“I want to do this right,” Bucky said, interrupting her minor panic attack. 

“I-” he sighed, rubbing his face with his metal hand. “I don’t know if this is too soon. I don’t know how shit like this works nowadays. But fuck, I care about you, Doll. I want you, and I want to be with you, if you’ll have me. I want to take you out dancing or to the pictures, bring you flowers just ‘cause I can. Can you- will you- ugh,” he groaned, obviously frustrated at himself, “You’re kind and gorgeous and honest, and I know I don’t deserve that, but I _want_ it and I want _you_. So please, Doll. Will you give me a chance? To do this the right way?”

His blue eyes were pouring into hers with more vulnerability than she had ever seen in him. Lo felt her heart clench in her chest. He wanted her. Like really wanted her- more than just a one time thing. He was serious about her.

“Are you asking me to be yours, James Barnes?” she grinned, bright and toothy and radiant.

“Yes- anything. Anything you want to be, anything you’ll let me be. We don’t even have to put a label on it yet, I just want to give whatever it is between us a try,” he said, grabbing onto her hand.

“That’s one hell of an offer,” she teased. 

“You’re one hell of a girl,” he argued.

Lo shook her head. Her _life_. How had things changed so drastically in such a short time?

The answer was staring straight at her. Blue eyes piercing right to her soul. 

“You didn’t even have to ask,” she grinned, jumping into his arms. He caught her around her waist, spinning in a small circle while she giggled up at him. 

Bucky set her back on her feet gently, looking down at her with a beaming smile on his face.

She felt all the air rush out of her at once.

Less than a week ago, Lo told Bucky that there was nothing in the world that compared to a sunset in Wakanda. 

The smile he gave her now was 10 times as breathtaking.

“You’re _beautiful_ -” she said, unable to stop herself. 

Bucky's face screwed up in disagreement, but she continued.

“No seriously, James. You’re absolutely gorgeous. When you smile and your eyes light up, just like this, it’s fucking breathtaking,” Lo gushed. 

It dawned on her that it had been years, probably decades, since someone had last complimented him. She had to fix that immediately.

“And your hair. When you’ve been exercising or training with Steve, and you do that thing where you blow it out of your face. It’s seriously the hottest thing i’ve ever seen. I love your shoulders, too,” she continued, her hands moving in time with her rambling, tracing a path from his hair and down the wide expanse of his shoulders. “They’re broad and strong, your arms too.”

Lolita’s hands reached down to intertwine with his. 

“But my favourite thing is what's in here,” she said, gesturing to his heart. “You're brave. And courageous. And fiercely protective of the people you care about. The others don’t see it, but I do, and Steve does too. You’re _good,_ James. And i’ll tell you that every day, if that’s what it takes for you to believe me.”

She finished her impromptu speech by planting a soft kiss to his shirt and over his heart, before looking up to meet his gaze.

Bucky looked at her, his eyes filled with so much emotion it took her breath away. 

She’d rendered him speechless.

“Come here,” he growled instead, yanking her body towards him.

Lo gasped in surprise as his mouth pressed down on hers, gentle yet firm, their lips moving in sync. Bucky’s arm tightened around her waist, clutching at the fabric of her clothes, while her hands moved up to tangle in his hair.

She tugged gently at the roots, right at the nape, and grinned at the growl it elicited.

She was beginning to figure out the things he liked, and couldn’t wait to find out all the things that _really_ got him going.

Bucky retaliated by planting hot kisses along her jaw before nibbling gently on her ear, causing her to gasp and moan.

Apparently, he was figuring out what she liked too.

Bucky grinned, pulling back and letting his forehead rest on hers.

She was breathing a little heavier, leaning into his arm to keep her steady.

“Will you go, tonight?” he asked.

“To what?” Lo said, her brain turned to mush by his kisses.

“To Starks party.”

“Oh, right,” Lo said, her mind catching up. Bucky smirked. “I was thinking about it.”

“Hmm,” he hummed, stepping back slightly. “Why don’t we go together, then?”

“Wait, really? I thought you didn’t want to go?” she said, surprised.

“And let my best girl go to a dance alone? You crazy?” 

Lo grinned. _Best girl_. The name made her heart flutter.

“Come on, it’ll be our first date. Well, at least until I can take you out on a _real_ date. Like that dinner we talked about.” he said.

Lo’s smile grew even further. She’d almost forgotten about their plans for a dinner date, but clearly Bucky hadn’t. She squeezed his hands, smiling up at him beneath her lashes.

“I’d love to.”

“Good,” he grinned.

Bucky stepped forward and kissed her once more, their hands still intertwined. It felt like the kind of kiss you see in movies, Lo was certain there were fireworks exploding overhead.

Everything with Bucky felt like magic. It was too good to be true. 

“You’re beautiful too, y’know,” Bucky mumbled. Lo giggled.

“Thanks, Big Guy,” she said, breaking their kiss completely.

Bucky’s eyes darkened at the nickname. Lo felt her brows raise. 

_Bucky likes being called ‘Big Guy’,_ note taken.

“I need to go get ready for this date of ours,” she grinned, pulling away.

He grabbed her hand and pressed a swift kiss to her wrist before dropping it.

“Dunno’ why. You could go dressed like this and you’d still be the most gorgeous dame in the room.”

Lo felt her cheeks heat up. 

Bucky Barnes, ever the charmer.

“Whatever you say, Soldier,” she huffed, shaking her head.

His blue eyes darkened further and she swallowed. 

Alright. Looks like she’ll have to add “soldier” to the list of things Bucky likes.

He dropped her hand and she walked back to her bedroom to get ready.

Maybe she swayed her hips a little more than usual, knowing his eyes were on her. Maybe she didn’t.

(She definitely, definitely did.)

~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone else feeling a little hot under the collar? ;)
> 
> I missed Bucky in the last chapter, I'm so glad he's back. Also- THEY'RE FINALLY DATING! It only took freaking 40,000 words but Lo and Bucky *finally* got there. I wanted it to feel as natural as possible, which is why it took so long, but I hope you guys are happy with the way it happened.
> 
> Theres still a lot to come, so I hope you'll stick around for the ride. These next few chapters are some of my favourites.
> 
> Let me know how you felt in the comments below!


	12. Party, Party, Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! time for another update!
> 
> I was so excited to write this party scene, it was only meant to be one chapter but, well, these characters seem to have a mind of their own.
> 
> I hope you enjoy! Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

As soon as Lo shut her bedroom door, the panic set in.

First of all, _oh my god_ , her and Bucky were dating now?! How?! And second of all, what the hell was she going to wear?!

Lo ran to her bed and did what every girl does when they need to choose an outfit. 

She called her best friend.

Shuri answered on the third ring, her eyes bleary with sleep.

“Lolita? What's wrong?” her friend said.

“Shit! Sorry Shuri! I forgot about the time zone difference.”

Shuri sat up on her bed, the lights turning on around her.

“It’s fine,” she yawned, “What's wrong?....Why do you have that look on your face?”

Lo bit her lip and grinned.

“Lo…” Shuri warned.

“I’M GOING ON A DATE WITH BUCKY!” she squealed. 

Shuri screamed and, judging by her video feed, threw her data pad across the room.

From beyond her door, Lo heard Bucky chuckle.

_Oh shit, right, super hearing._

“I KNEW IT I KNEW IT I KNEW IT-” Shuri squealed, running over to pick her datapad up from the floor. Lo couldn’t help but laugh.

“I knew you guys were going to start dating! Wait! Who asked who?!”

“Bucky technically asked me, why?” Lo asked suspiciously.

“Dammit! Now I owe Cap $10.”

“What?! Why do you owe Steve money?!”

“I bet that you would be the one to ask Bucky out, but Cap disagreed. We put money on it.”

“You bet on my relationship with Bucky?!”

“Well yeah, duh.” Shuri said.

Lo dropped her head in her hands. Really, her _life._

“There are so many issues with that, but I don’t have time to go over them right now. I need help.”

“What do you need?” Shuri said, her expression turning determined.

“I have no idea what to wear,” Lo squeaked.

“Right, okay, don’t panic. How long do we have?”

Lo looked at the clock nearest to her. 6pm. _Shit._

“Two hours. And I still need to do hair and makeup.”

“Okay, not a lot of time, but we can do this. What's the plan for your date?”

“Tony’s throwing some big party, so we’re going to that.”

“A party? Didn’t they just get back from a fight with Hydra? Is now really the time for parties?”

“Probably not, but Tony wants to celebrate. _You_ try telling him ‘no’,” Lo said, shaking her head. 

“Right, well. A party. That means nothing too formal, but not too casual either. And definitely not something boring. Show me your closet,” Shuri said.

Lo grabbed the datapad and walked to her wardrobe. Thankfully, she had just finished unpacking the last of her clothes the night before.

“What are our options?” Shuri asked.

“I have this,” Lo said, pulling out a navy dress and holding it in front of the camera for Shuri to see. Her friend shook her head. 

“Too professional looking. What else?”

“This?” Lo said, pulling out a midi red dress.

“Oh wow, that’s gorgeous, but it might be too formal for the party. Definitely keep that one, though.”

Lo grabbed a few more dresses and even some pant suits, but nothing seemed to fit. It wasn’t until she pulled out her last dress. 

It was black, with an asymmetric neckline and a slit on one side. Tight enough to hug her curves, but still modest.

“That’s it,” Shuri said, her mouth wide open. “That’s definitely, definitely it.”

“Okay, shoot, it’s almost 6:30, I need to go get ready. Thanks Shuri!”

“Call me tomorrow and tell me everything!”

“Will do!” Lo said, ending the call and rushing to get dressed.

She pulled on the dress, with matching black heels, and started on hair and makeup.

It took some fighting, but she managed to force her hair into some arrangement of curls. For makeup she kept it minimum, sticking to nude colours for lipstick and eyeshadow.

Lo was just finishing her lip gloss when a knock came at her door.

“Lolita?” Bucky called.

“Just a sec!” Lo replied, grabbing a clutch and stuffing her phone inside, along with her lip gloss and a few other necessities. She sprayed some perfume on her neck and wrists and walked over to the door, pulling it open.

Bucky was standing on the other side in dark washed jeans. He kept his combat boots, but had pulled on a light grey shirt and leather jacket. His hair was artfully tousled and he hadn’t shaved, the stubble on his jaw doing all kinds of things to her.

Bucky’s jaw dropped the second she opened the door. 

“I- uh- _Jesus_ , Doll. You look _beautiful_.”

He couldn’t take his eyes off her, tracing every inch of her figure from head to toe. She immediately blushed under the intensity of his gaze.

Lo shifted unsteadily, hoping he wouldn’t see her red cheeks under her foundation.

“Thanks, Buckaroo. You look pretty damn good yourself.”

He grinned at her and stuck out an arm. She took it gratefully, squeezing his forearm.

Her brows shot up. Even his forearm was rock solid with muscle, not that she should be all that surprised.

“Somethin’ wrong?” He asked.

“No, everything's perfect,” she grinned, letting him walk them out the door of the apartment and through to the lounge.

~~~~

The lounge was already crowded with people by the time they arrived. 

Most of the team was inside, along with many faces Lo didn’t recognise. She figured they were other staff members or friends Tony had invited.

There were drinks covering the tables and music blaring. The lights had been dimmed and a terrace Lo hadn’t noticed was wide open, people lingering outside for fresh air.

“HAYNES!” Tony shouted, a few seconds after her and Bucky entered the room. Pepper looked at her apologetically from behind Tony’s shoulder. “Christ, don’t you clean up well?”

His eyes drifted over her figure appreciatively.

“You look beautiful,” Pepper said, elbowing him not-so-gently in the ribs. 

“Right, beautiful,” Tony amended.

“Sorry, I don’t think we’ve officially met. I’m Pepper Potts,” Pepper said, extending a hand towards Bucky. He shook it.

“Bucky,” he nodded, his eyes flicking back to Tony.

“Don’t mind him. He started drinking early,” Pepper said, gesturing to Tony.

“Who started drinking early?” Tony slurred. Pepper rolled her eyes.

“I see,” Bucky chuckled. 

“I wasn’t expecting to see you,” Lo said.

“I wasn’t expecting to be back so soon,” Pepper smiled, “But someone had to look after this guy.” 

Tony wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her lazily on the cheek. 

“C’mon, i’ll get you a drink,” Pepper said, gesturing for Lo and Bucky to follow.

Lo took Bucky's arm, ready to follow Pepper, when a loud voice interrupted them.

“BUCK! Over here!” the voice called, shouting to be heard over the music. Lo whipped her head around to see Steve waving at them.

Bucky looked at her with uncertainty.

“Go ahead,” Lo nudged, “I’ll catch up with you later.”

"You sure?" he asked, looking at her and then over to a very drunk Tony.

"Positive," Lo smiled.

Bucky looked at her for a moment longer before he nodded, reaching down to plant a kiss on the inside of her wrist. 

" _Go_ ," Lo nudged again and he chuckled, dropping her wrist gently and walking towards Steve.

Lo turned to Pepper, who watched her with a knowing glint in her eyes. She had a feeling Pepper could see the blush even under all her makeup.

“Vodka or Tequila?” Pepper asked.

“Got any Whiskey?”

~~~~

**BUCKY’S POV**

Bucky walked towards Steve slowly, turning his head to check on the dame he left behind. 

Lo was standing with Pepper, laughing and grinning, looking like some kind of dream. He couldn't make sense of it, somehow every time he saw her, Lo looked more and more beautiful than the last. Bucky simply couldn't comprehend how he could be so _lucky_. It felt almost wrong, like he didn't deserve to call her 'his'.

And yet, despite not feeling good enough, Bucky knew there was no way in _hell_ he could ever let her go. 

Lolita had come crashing into his life like some blazing inferno. At first he tried to resist, giving her the cold and dark impression that he gave every one else. But then she showed him that kindness, that _goodness_ in her heart, like it was easy- like he deserved it.

And well, Bucky was too damn selfish to walk away after that.

Steve cleared his throat as Bucky approached, pulling his attention away from Lo, if only for a moment.

“How ya doin’, Buck?” Steve asked, pulling Bucky into a half-hug.

“Not bad,” he replied.

His eyes drifted back to Lo. Once again, it was like the breath was pulled from his body. 

Just standing there, she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. The second she walked out of her room, wearing that damn near skin tight dress and heels, Bucky almost fainted. He was convinced he had somehow died and gone to heaven. How could he be so _lucky._

“She’s beautiful, huh?” Steve said, following Bucky's gaze. Or stare, to put it more accurately. Bucky huffed.

“That’s an understatement, pal.”

Steve chuckled, nodding his head in agreement.

“Something happen between you two?”

“You could say that,” Bucky grinned. Steve rose a brow in questioning.

“We agreed to give whatever it is between us a real chance. I asked her out. Tonight’s technically our first date.”

“ _You_ asked _her_ out?” Steve clarified. Bucky’s brows furrowed in confusion.

“Uh, yeah, why?”

“No reason,” Steve said, using his glass of scotch to hide his grin.

 _What? Was Bucky missing something here?_

“I’m happy for you, Buck. She’s a nice gal. You two look good together.”

“You think so?” 

Steve nodded.

“Trust me. You're a lucky guy. Now come on, i’ll get you a drink. The alcohol doesn’t have any effect on us, but it tastes good enough.”

Steve led Bucky further into the crowd where a table sat, with various bottles of spirits and glasses sitting on top. Steve poured Bucky a scotch, handing it over before topping up his own glass.

Bucky took a sip, revelling in the comforting burn of the warm liquid.

“Hey! Don’t you guys need to head back to the retirement home soon?” a voice called. Sam Wilson’s voice, to be exact.

 _Great_ , Bucky thought, his eyes drifting over to the open balcony. Maybe he could make a quick escape before Sam arrived. Or better yet, jump straight over the balcony. He was willing to do anything to avoid this conversation.

“Sam,” Steve said fondly, pulling his friend into a hug once he arrived.

 _Too late for the escape plan, then,_ Bucky thought.

“Bucky,” Sam nodded, sending him a shit eating grin. Bucky simply grunted in response.

 _What?_ The guy was a pain in his ass.

“Glad to see you’re being as talkative as ever. Hey, did you guys see that new doctor?” Sam said, letting out a low whistle. His eyes drifted over to Lolita.

Bucky straightened, immediately feeling defensive.

His eyes shot to the balcony, this time wondering if he could throw Sam over instead.

“Think she’s off limits, sorry buddy,” Steve replied, glancing at Bucky. 

Sam followed Steve's gaze and his brows lifted in surprise.

“Oh _really?_ Isn’t she a little young for you, Terminator?”

Bucky felt his jaw clench.

That balcony was beginning to look _real_ sweet.

“Aren’t we a little old to be doing this?” Bucky countered.

“I’m just saying,” Sam said, holding his hands up in mock surrender, “She’s nice to look at. You're a lucky son of a bitch.”

Bucky’s hands clenched into fists, and he was about to say something else when Steve cut him off.

“Easy there, fellas. We’ve got company,” Steve said, nodding subtly. Bucky turned to see Lolita walking straight towards them, a glass of dark amber liquid in her hand.

She was smiling earnestly, her cheeks flushed and pupils so dilated her eyes were almost black. She even walked with a little more sway in her step, each detail no doubt an effect from the alcohol.

Bucky felt his whole body relax at her approach. _His Sunshine._

It was damn near incredible, the effect she had on him. Her presence alone was enough to calm him from raging to placid as a puppy dog. Something about her just brought out all of his natural instincts, one second he was overprotective and maybe a little jealous, the next he was all...warm and _fluffy_ inside.

“Evening, gentlemen,” Lo grinned, coming to stand at Bucky’s side. He reached a hand around her waist protectively. 

Lo leaned into his touch, which Bucky hoped was intentional, and not just a side affect of the alcohol.

“Doc,” Steve greeted her, a half smirk on his face.

“Hell-o gorgeous,” Sam said, swooping down to press a dramatic kiss on Lo’s hand. Bucky had to restrain his physical growl.

“Oh!” Lo exclaimed, obviously caught off guard. “It’s uh, nice to see you too, Sam.”

“Pleasures all mine,” Sam winked. Bucky rolled his eyes. 

He wondered how Lo would react if he kicked Sam in the shins. Or maybe his face.

Lo looked uncertainly between Sam and Bucky, before something like understanding washed over her face. 

“They always like this?” she said, directing her attention to Steve. She was obviously referring to him and Sam.

Steve sighed. 

“You have no _idea_.”

Bucky wasn't sure whether he should feel offended or not, but then Lo giggled, her face flushing even darker. Bucky decided it was fine, if it made his girl laugh.

“Hey Capsicle! Come say ‘Hi’ to Queens!” Tony called, interrupting Bucky’s thoughts.

His head snapped around to see Tony standing at the entrance to the lounge, his arm wrapped around the shoulders of some kid Bucky didn’t recognise. Thankfully, Tony was looking marginally less intoxicated than he was earlier.

Bucky’s nose wrinkled as he remembered the smell of alcohol pouring off of Tony. He hadn’t smelled that much alcohol on someone's breath since his days in the army.

Steve’s brows furrowed in confusion, before he bid the group a quick goodbye and walked over to Tony and the extremely young stranger with him.

“Who’s the kid?” Sam mused aloud. Lo shrugged her shoulders.

“Never seen him before.”

“He seems...familiar,” Bucky said, eyes narrowing.

The kid in question froze once Steve approached, his arm outstretched for a hand shake. Tony seemed to nudge him gently, and the kid came back to life, jerking his hand out awkwardly.

Tony chuckled, looking at the kid fondly.

They were far away, but with Bucky’s super hearing, he could hear them easily.

“Hi! Mr- uhm- Captain, sir-”

“Steve,” Stevie answered, chuckling lightly.

Bucky tried to keep the confusion from his face. He knew that voice.

“Right, Steve. Sorry about, uh, taking your shield that time. And- you know, the rest…”

“Don’t worry about it, kid,” Steve chuckled.

“Peter- call me Peter,” the kid grinned.

Suddenly it all clicked into place.

“It’s the kid from the airport. The one who stole Steve’s shield,” Bucky said.

Sam’s eyes widened in realisation.

“ _No_ ,” he exclaimed.

“What?” Lolita asked, looking between the two of them for answers.

“The spider thing?!” Sam practically shouted.

Lo’s face lit up in recognition.

“Oh! You mean _Spiderman?!_ I _love_ him! But he’s so much younger than I was expecting-” she gushed. 

_Love? Huh?_

All of Bucky's instincts kicked into overdrive again and he had to stop himself from pulling Lo away, using himself to keep her away from the... _spider thing_.

Bucky looked at Lo who was _beaming_ at his side. He had never seen her so excited before, and it was all for that _kid_. The one who threw a freaking sign at Bucky’s head a few months ago.

“Come on! Let’s go meet him!” Lo exclaimed.

“I dunno, Doll-”

“Come on, _Big Guy,_ ” she said, turning to grin at him mischievously. 

Bucky swallowed heavily. 

There it was again. _Big Guy_. Bucky didn’t even know why it affected him so much. But something about those words coming from her mouth- Dammit, it was like his kryptonite.

“Doll?” Sam chuckled, making fun of Bucky’s name for Lo. “Damn Bucky, what are you? 90? Oh wait-”

Bucky glared at him, the muscle in his jaw jumping with tension. 

He reached out and grabbed Lo’s hand, dragging her away from Sam and, reluctantly, towards Steve, Tony, and the kid Lo was _so_ in love with.

Lolita grinned, her small, delicate fingers intertwining with his bigger metal ones. 

Bucky felt his anger melt away with the small yet significant gesture.

He turned around and saw Sam smirking at him, looking pointedly at his left hand that was clutching Lo’s like a lifeline.

Never mind, his anger was back again.

Bucky breathed in through his nose and out with his mouth, imagining how it would feel to once, just once, punch Sam Wilson straight in the face.

~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohoo! I had so much fun with this chapter, I hope you guys liked the change in POV! It's not something I plan on doing often, but maybe if you guys like it i'll do it again in the future :) Writing Jealous!Bucky was so entertaining lol.
> 
> Also, for anyone wondering what Lo's dress looks like-
> 
> https://www.pinterest.ru/pin/569001734174527474/
> 
> Thanks again for reading! Let me know what you thought in the comments below!


	13. Teasing, Drinking Games and Peter Parker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New update! This ones coming a day earlier than usual because I started back at University this week and the work load is already insane :( I hope you're all having a good day- thanks for reading!

**LOLITA’S POV**

She held Bucky’s hand and pulled him along behind her. He was still glowering intently, but she could tell there was no _real_ heat behind it. At least, she certainly hoped not.

Bucky looked towards their destination with great disdain, much to Lo’s amusement. She had seen the way Bucky had gotten his hackles up when she gushed over Spiderman, but she couldn’t quite help herself. He was one of her favourite superheroes, after all. Always looking out for the little guy.

Lo had watched from overseas, on whatever crappy TV she could find, as the friendly neighbourhood Spiderman got more and more publicity. Sometimes for attempting to stop bank robbers (and not always succeeding), and other times for helping return stolen bikes to little kids. He was a total sweetheart.

“I don’t see what all the excitement is about,” Bucky grumbled, as if he could hear her thoughts.

“He’s a bit of a celebrity,” she answered. “The press loves him. He runs around fighting crime and helping little old ladies cross the street, it’s all very sweet.”

“He threw a sign at my head.”

“He what?!” Lo said, her brows shooting up to her hairline. She almost tripped over and Bucky had to reach out his other arm to steady her.

 _Oops,_ maybe Pepper had given her one too many shots.

“At the airport, when we had that brawl with Tony. The kid came runnin’ in to stop me and Sam. Shot us with some webby stuff and then threw a sign at me.”

“Were you hurt?!” she exclaimed.

“I mean, not really. I moved before it hit me.”

“Oh good,” Lo said, breathing a sigh of relief. “Wait, you didn’t hurt him back, did you?”

Bucky looked at her like she had grown an extra head.

“I tell you I got in a fight, and you’re worried about the _other_ guy?”

“Well, yeah. Look at him! He’s a kid!”

Bucky shook his head. And then he remembered.

“Well, uh, technically, Steve did drop a jet bridge on him-” he was momentarily cut off my Lo’s appalled expression. “-But again, he threw a sign at my head. And he stuck my arm to the floor. I think we’re even.”

“Steve dropped a bridge on a kid?!”

“I what?” Steve asked, looking at Lo in surprise.

 _Oh_. She hadn't realised they had arrived.

“You dropped a jet bridge on Spiderman!” Lo scolded. 

Spiderman himself turned to look at Lo with wide eyes, while Tony simply smirked.

“He did. It was incredibly rude of him,” Tony said, turning his smirk on Cap. “Lo, meet the kid. Kid, meet Lo.”

“I-I’m Peter,” Spiderman said, looking incredibly bewildered. Lo felt her heart twist.

Something about him was so _cute_. He was probably less than 10 years younger than her, and yet her maternal instincts were screaming at her to protect him at all costs.

“Lolita Haynes, but everyone calls me Lo,” Lo smiled her most reassuring smile, extending her left hand for him to shake. “I’m a huge fan of yours.”

She heard Bucky grumble something next to her, too low for her to hear. But Cap obviously heard, judging by the amused look he shot Bucky. 

It was strange. She had never seen Bucky act...well, jealous until tonight. He was protective, sure, but never jealous. It made her amused, and maybe a teeny, tiny bit smug.

_Yeah, she definitely had one too many drinks._

“Really?” Peter asked, looking at Lo in surprise. 

“Mmhmm,” she hummed. “So- about this jet bridge??”

“I should probably apologise for that, huh?” Cap smiled.

“You should,” Tony huffed snobbishly, crossing his arms over his chest. “And while we’re at it, make Robocop here apologise too.”

“He threw a sign at my head!” Bucky repeated, pointing accusingly at Peter.

“So?” Tony argued.

“Sorry about that, by the way,” Peter mumbled, obviously wanting to apologise but also not wanting to become the next victim of Tony’s rant. 

Bucky gave Peter a thorough once over before his attention turned to Lo. He studied her face and then sighed.

“Don’t worry about it, kid.”

Lo tried to hide her grin, but probably failed. She knew Bucky was being extra nice to Peter for her sake.

Tony rounded on Lo, his brow raised. 

“You made Cap'n Crunch apologise, but you’re not gonna make Heavy Metal do the same?”

Lo looked between Peter and Bucky, who seemed to have come to some kind of tense agreement. Peter was looking at Bucky both in awe and slightly terrified, while Bucky just looked uncomfortable. It wasn’t perfect, but they were civil. She shrugged.

“I didn’t make Steve do anything. Besides, they seem fine to me.”

Tony’s jaw dropped.

“Wow, Haynes. You know- favouritism isn’t cool. Just because you got a new cyborg boyfriend-”

Beside her, Bucky tensed, obviously not liking what Tony was saying.

“Doesn’t mean I can tell him what to do.” She finished, looking at Tony pointedly.

She was reminded of the conversation they had after the first Avengers meeting, where Tony had failed to trust Bucky. Lo could tell Tony was thinking about the same thing.

“Alright alright, I was only kidding, you guys know that right?”

Lo nodded at him, smiling to break some of the tension. Tony wrapped his arm around Peter's shoulders and pulled him towards the rest of the crowd.

“C’mon kid, we’ve still got a few more introductions to do.”

Lo turned to look at Bucky, whose eyes were wide in surprise.

“What?” she giggled.

“Everytime. You manage to surprise me everytime.”

“How?”

“Just- Just you, being you. Defending me when I keep expecting you not to. I thought I would have to be the one to tell Tony to drop it, but you did it for me.”

“Well yeah, nobody should be allowed to tell you what to do. Not even me. Besides, what kind of date would I be if I didn’t defend you?”

It was meant to be a joke, but his eyes poured into hers so sincerely that she stopped breathing.

“A normal one, I guess. Nobody else cares like you do.”

_Nobody else cares like you do._

“Well,” Lo said, trying to swallow the emotions caught in her throat. “Good thing i’m not normal then.”

“You’re not,” he assured. And then his face screwed up. “That sounded better in my head. You know what I mean.”

“I know,” Lo smiled, reaching up on her toes to plant a kiss on his cheek. 

~~~~

Steve must have left them some time during her and Bucky’s little heart to heart. Because when Lo looked around, he was nowhere to be seen.

“Can I get you another drink?” Bucky said, gesturing to the empty glass in her hand.

 _Oh_. Lo didn’t even remember finishing that.

“Water would be good,” she chuckled.

Bucky pulled on their interlocked hands gently, guiding her through the crowd and to the drinks area. He grabbed her now empty glass and began filling it with water, pouring another scotch for himself.

“I thought alcohol didn’t work on you?” she asked. Bucky shrugged.

“It doesn’t, but Stark bought the good stuff. Can’t let it go to waste now, can I?”

Lo giggled, shaking her head.

“Fair enough.”

He handed back her glass and she swallowed half of it in one gulp, trying to chase away the effects of the alcohol. Bucky watched her fondly.

“What?”

“Nuthin’, Doll.”

“You’ve been giving me a lot of funny looks tonight, Soldier.”

“What can I say. I enjoy looking at you.”

Lo’s face blushed bright scarlet, and she couldn’t fight the grin from creeping up onto her face.

“I bet you say that to _all_ the girls.”

“Nah. Just you.”

His blue eyes were filled with something between deep hunger and soft sincerity. The intensity made her shiver, raising goosebumps along her bare arms.

Bucky followed the movement with renewed interest, his eyes lingering over her chest and shoulders. 

“Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?”

“You have,” she said, smiling brighter.

“Have I told you in the last five minutes? Because you look really, _really_ gorgeous.”

Bucky had dropped down to whisper in her ear, his voice triggering a whole new wave of goosebumps. Lo felt her breath hitch.

“Careful, Soldier. Don’t start something you can’t finish,” she said, thinking about all the times Bucky had kissed her senseless, just to pull away before they got to the good part.

Bucky smirked, as if sensing her thoughts.

“Oh, I intend to _finish_ , Sunshine. But not until you do.”

_Not until I do?_

Lo’s face screwed up in confusion. She looked up at him, trying to figure out what he meant. 

Bucky winked, his eyes glancing over her appreciatively.

Oh. _Oh!_

Lo’s mouth dropped open in surprise. 

“You know what they say- Ladies first,” he smirked.

Bucky was talking about _sex_. He wanted to make her orgasm, and it sounded like a promise. 

Lo couldn’t breathe. Was it hot in here? It certainly felt hot in here. Jesus, someone open a window or something-

“What’s the matter, Sunshine?” Bucky asked, his eyes filled with mischief. He knew _exactly_ what he was doing. If they were in private, Lo would jump his bones right now. But seeing as it was, they were surrounded by at least 30 people. She couldn’t do anything without making a scene.

“You’re a right git, James Barnes.”

“A git?” he grinned. “That some kinda British slang for handsome?”

Lo narrowed her eyes at him, pinching him in the side. He let out a squeak in surprise.

“No, it means you’re a little shit.”

Bucky burst out laughing, and Lo couldn’t help but laugh along with him. 

“You like me anyway,” he said, kissing her on the wrist smugly.

“Mmhmm,” Lo hummed non-committedly, making him grin even wider. “Now come on, we need to go find people. If I stay alone with you, i’m afraid i'll start dragging you back to our room.”

Bucky’s face lifted, like he didn’t think that was such a bad idea. Lo huffed, telling herself this was _not_ the time to go sneaking off. 

Despite how much she wanted Bucky to follow through with his previous promise.

~~~~

Thankfully, finding the others wasn’t so hard. 

The whole team was sitting around a large table, lounging about on various couches with drinks in hand. Even Thor and Rhodey were there, but Lo noted that Vision and Wanda were gone. Or maybe they hadn’t come at all, considering Lo was yet to see the two of them.

There was a black box sitting on the table, each person staring at it intently.

“What’s goin’ on, Stevie?” Bucky asked, as he and Lo approached the table.

“Oh hey, pal,” Steve smiled. “To be honest with you, i’m not really sure.”

Bucky’s brows furrowed in confusion. Steve shuffled over, making room for Bucky and Lo to sit.

Unfortunately, the couch wasn’t exactly built for two giant supersoldiers, and so there was really only enough room for one person. 

Lo hesitated, not sure what to do, when Bucky sat down next to Steve and reached out his hand. He was offering for her to sit on his lap.

Lo blushed, taking his arm and sitting as elegantly as she could on his lap. And oh, wow, okay. Bucky had really nice thighs.

From across the room, on another couch, Tony stared at them.

“That will never not be weird,” he muttered.

Pepper, who was also sitting on his lap, turned to elbow him in the side.

“Hey look who it is!” Clint called, moving his crutches so they were sitting on the floor. “You guys got here just in time, Nat’s about to teach us a game.”

“A game?” Lo asked, looking at the black box suspiciously.

“A game,” Thor repeated, looking extremely excited.

“I don’t know if I trust anything that comes from Natasha…” Tony hesitated.

“You’ll be fine,” the red head said. She approached the black box on the table and lifted the lid, revealing a full tray of chocolates.

“What? Chocolate?” Tony asked. “Are they poisoned? I bet they’re poisoned-”

“They’re not poisoned,” Natasha rolled her eyes. She picked up the tray and walked around the room, gesturing for everyone to take one. Lo eyed hers suspiciously, as did everyone else in the room.

“Alright,” Nat said, sitting on the couch next to Clint. “This game is all about bluffing. Each person takes a random chocolate from the box and eats it-”

“What's the catch?” Tony interrupted. Nat glared at him.

“Some of the chocolates are plain, but some are filled with chili. After you eat your chocolate, we take turns at guessing whether you had the plain, or the chili. Whoever guesses wrong has to drink.”

“How spicy are we talking?” Steve looked up nervously. 

Nat only smirked.

“Clint. Why don’t you go first?”

“Alright,” Clint grinned. 

He popped the chocolate into his mouth, everyone waiting anxiously for his reaction. 

Suddenly his eyes went wide and he almost jumped off the chair, his hand grasping for his drink.

Everyone around the room burst out laughing. Clint's face went bright red, his eyes even began to water.

“JESUS CHRIST I DIDN’T THINK IT WOULD BE THAT HOT-”

“I said there was chili inside,” Nat said, raising her eyebrows.

“Come on, that wasn’t chili, that was the devils ass himself-”

“What the hell,” Steve said, face palming.

Clint was still chugging down water to try and cool down his mouth.

“So, I take it he got the chili?” Rhodey said, looking at Clint in mild disgust.

“Votes?” Natasha asked.

“Chili,” Tony said.

“Definitely chili,” Pepper agreed.

The rest of the team took turns voting for which chocolate they thought Clint had eaten. The room unanimously decided it was chili.

“Yeah, no fucking _shit_ ,” Clint said, still drinking his water. “Somebody else go, my tongue is on fucking fire.”

“I’ll try,” Tony said, popping the chocolate into his mouth.

Immediately his expression was much more guarded than Clint’s. Lo watched closely, trying to look for any indication that the chocolate Tony had eaten was spicy.

His eyes were focused, but he didn’t look flustered or strained. And he certainly wasn’t jumping off the chair like Clint was.

“Votes?” Natasha asked.

“Plain,” Lo said.

“Plain,” Bucky repeated. 

The rest of the room agreed, until the vote got to Steve. 

“Chili,” he said, surprising everyone.

“Really?” Clint asked incredulously.

“Definitely chili,” Pepper agreed. “I can smell it on your breath.”

“Girls right,” Tony grinned, reaching for his glass. He took a few steady gulps. “Now everyone who got it wrong has to drink. You know, god, Clint, you seriously over exaggerated that. It wasn’t even bad.”

“It was burning! What are you even talking about?!”

“Maybe you’re just a baby,” Tony grinned.

Clint tried to grab his crutch and throw it at Tony, but Nat cut him off.

“Your turn, Cap.”

~~~~

They went around the whole room, guessing who got which chocolate. Each person who got chili handled it much better than Clint. Especially Bucky.

Lo could smell the hot spice on his breath the second he bit down on the chocolate, but his face never once moved a muscle. He certainly had one hell of a poker face.

Everyone but Lo and Steve said plain, so everyone else had to drink.

Now it was Nat’s turn, the whole room watching her eagerly as she popped the chocolate in her mouth.

For a few seconds there was nothing.

And then she furrowed her brows ever so slightly.

“No way,” Clint whispered.

Nat coughed, trying to clear her throat while maintaining her poker face. But then her cheeks started heating up, and her eyes looked suspiciously teary.

She started blinking rapidly, clearing her throat again.

Tony looked at her in utter surprise.

“It can’t be. She’s a spy. She’s gotta be faking it.”

“You think she’s faking _that_?” Rhodey asked incredulously.

Nat’s cheeks turned an even brighter red, and you could tell she was clearly trying to fight her reaction but was failing miserably. Her eyes teared up even further.

“Okay no, definitely not faking it,” Tony said, looking gobsmacked. Clint coughed to muffle his laugh.

Lo shook her head. There is no situation in _hell_ where Natasha Romanoff couldn't control her expression. 

“She’s acting,” Lo said, a certainty in her tone.

“You’ve gotta be kidding. There's no way. Her whole face is flushed!” Tony argued.

“Yup, you can’t fake that,” Rhodey agreed. “That’s an unintentional reaction. Fake cry, sure, but fake blush? Nuh uh.”

Natasha covered her mouth with the back of her hand, blinking away the wetness in her eyes. Even a vein had started to bulge in her neck. 

_Jesus, maybe she wasn’t acting after all?_

“Uh, votes?” Steve asked.

“Chilli,” Tony huffed

“Chilli,” Pepper agreed.

“Definitely chilli,” Rhodey said.

Lo shook her head. She simply couldn’t believe that Natasha, the fucking _Black Widow_ , would be getting this bothered over a piece of chocolate. She was a good actress, but Lo had more faith in her than that.

“Plain,” Lo said.

“Plain,” Bucky agreed, smiling at Lo with a proud glint in his eyes.

Once all the votes were in, everyone saying chili except Lo, Bucky and Clint, the crowd turned their attention back to Nat.

Suddenly, as soon as it appeared, the bright red, teary eyed expression disappeared from Nat's face. She looked completely normal.

Natasha turned to Lo and winked.

“Well, Doctor. You might just make a good spy after all.”

All at once, everyone around the room's jaws dropped.

“You were FAKING that?!” Tony exclaimed. Nat just grinned.

“HOW?!” Rhodey yelled. Nat shrugged.

“I’m a woman, we’re good at faking things.”

She wasn't talking about the chocolate anymore.

Beside her, Steve choked on his scotch, while Clint burst out laughing.

“Trust me,” Nat sniggered.

“Amen,” Pepper said, toasting her wine glass in salute.

Tony looked at her offendedly.

“Not with you,” Pepper assured, and Lo saw the breath leave his body.

“Is that everyone?” Steve asked, looking around the room to make sure all the chocolates were gone.

“Sure is. Now come on, you owe me a game of pool. Maybe this time you’ll actually beat me,” Clint winked, picking up his crutches and walking towards the pool table. Steve rolled his eyes.

“I’m literally playing the best archer in the world in a game of aiming and shooting. Do you really think I have a chance?”

“Nope,” Clint said, smugly. “Still fun watching you try, though.”

Steve followed Clint to the pool table, as did Nat and a few others. 

Bucky put his hand on Lo’s waist, sitting up to whisper in her ear.

“Wanna come with me outside?”

“Only if I can borrow your jacket,” Lo grinned.

It was mostly a joke, but also not. It was no doubt cold outside, and she was only wearing a dress. But also, she just really, really wanted to wear Bucky’s jacket.

He grinned smugly, tapping on her waist to signal for her to stand. 

Lo stood, offering her hand to help him up. He took it, dropping it a second later to pull off his leather jacket and wrap it around her shoulders. 

Lo smiled as she was suddenly overwhelmed with the scent of Bucky, his warmth still lingering in the jacket.

Bucky wrapped an arm around her waist, guiding her to the open terrace Lo had spotted earlier.

~~~~

The terrace was bare when they arrived. Most of the other guests had left some time during the chocolate game, with a few others, like Peter, Bruce and Rhodey, making their way out now.

Lo followed Bucky to the end of the terrace, where the balcony looked over the land surrounding the compound. She could see the hangars in the distance, and even part of the running track. But, best of all, Lo could see hundreds and hundreds of stars.

“Pretty, huh?” Bucky asked, looking at her fondly.

“Beautiful,” she smiled.

“You know, i’m sorry this hasn’t exactly been the most _private_ first date.”

Bucky looked down at his hand worriedly. Lo reached out and covered his palm with hers.

“It’s been perfect so far.”

“You mean that?” he asked. Lo nodded.

“Mmhmm, although i’m glad i’ve got you alone now.”

“Oh really?” he asked suggestively. 

Lo rolled her eyes. She hadn’t meant it like that. But then again, she did deserve a little revenge after Bucky’s merciless teasing earlier.

“Yup,” Lo said, placing a finger on his chest and trying to make her voice sound sultry. “I’ve been waiting to get you alone all night, Soldier.”

Bucky leaned down, ready to kiss her, but Lo turned her head at the last second so he kissed her cheek instead. 

Bucky reeled back in surprise.

“Hey!” he said, lips pouting. Lo had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing at him.

“What?” she said, feigning ignorance. Bucky narrowed his eyes.

“You’re teasin’ me.”

“Me? Tease you? Never,” Lo grinned. “Why, it’s not like you were teasing me earlier, or anything.”

Bucky looked at her suspiciously, before he smirked.

“Ah. Payback.”

“Karma’s a bitch, ay Barnes?”

“I didn’t pick you to be the revenge type.”

“I’m only doing what’s fair,” she grinned. Bucky tugged her closer to his chest.

“Even after I let you borrow my jacket?”

She wrapped her leather clad arms around his neck and nodded.

“Should have thought about that before you teased me.”

All sense of joking left Bucky’s face at once. His blue eyes bore into hers in the best puppy dog impression Lo had ever seen.

“Oh no, that’s cheating,” she said.

Bucky said nothing, just continued to look at her with wide, heart wrenching blue eyes. He even stuck out his bottom lip in a pout. What the fuck.

“Where the hell did you learn that?!” Lo asked incredulously. She couldn’t help it. Her heart was literally melting every second that he continued looking at her like that.

Bucky shrugged pitifully.

Lo waited a few more seconds before she couldn’t take it anymore. She sighed dramatically, reaching up on her toes to kiss him briefly on the lips.

However, the second her mouth touched his, Bucky’s arms wrapped tight around her waist and he pulled her flush against him. Lo could feel him grinning through their kiss.

“You’re a cheat, Barnes.”

“I’m only doing what’s fair,” he smirked.

~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you thought in the comments below!


	14. Kisses, Singing, and More Kisses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a bit of fluff to get you through the day <3
> 
> -Artemis

Bucky kissed Lo for what felt like hours, but was probably only minutes. His arms were so tight and secure around her waist, her chest pulled flush to his, like two halves of one whole. 

Bucky was devouring her- mind, body and soul. And she _loved_ it.

He kissed her once more on the lips, gentle and soft, as if he was memorising the taste of her mouth. It felt like a promise, a promise of more, a promise of return. 

Bucky’s arms slowly unwinded from her waist, until his hands were resting on either side of her hips. His blue eyes were dark with desire, his hair ruffled and his lips swollen and red. He looked, well, _delicious_. 

And Lo was drinking in the sight.

There was a crash and clink of glasses. Lo tore her eyes from Bucky, reluctantly, and towards the lounge. Steve and Sam were walking around with bags, cleaning up leftover glasses and empty bottles. Tony was passed out on a couch, Pepper looking at him fondly. Nat and Clint were talking in hushed tones by the pool table.

“Looks like the party’s over, huh Doll?”

“Looks like,” Lo smiled, a little sadly.

Bucky dropped his head to whisper in her ear, his hair tickling her neck.

“Wanna go back to our room?”

 _Our room_. The words made her grin.

“Lead the way, Buckaroo.”

Bucky chuckled, shaking his head at her. He extended an arm for her, which she took gladly, and led her back into the lounge.

Steve nodded as they passed. 

“Hey pal, you alright to train on your own tomorrow? I promised Sam i’d go for a run with him.”

Bucky shrugged. 

“Sure, no problem.”

“Actually, I need a training partner, if you’re up for it?” Natasha said, suddenly right beside them. Lo almost jumped out of her skin in surprise. How did she sneak up like that?

Bucky gave Nat a once over, before nodding.

“Good. 9am in the gym, don’t be late,” Nat smirked, looking predatory. Lo shivered. 

That was the kind of smile that promised pain and consequences. She definitely didn’t want to piss off Natasha.

Bucky nodded again.

Steve clapped him on the shoulder before going back to Sam, grabbing some more empty glasses on the way. Nat walked backed over to Clint, who was watching them all curiously. 

Lo squeezed Bucky’s arm in reassurance. He turned to her and smiled, walking to the exit.

They passed the couch where Tony was laying, passed out with a cushion under his head and drool on his chin. Pepper was leaning on the back of the couch on her phone.

Lo pulled on Bucky’s arm, signaling for him to stop.

“What is it, Doll?’

“I wanna do something,” Lo said, getting an idea.

She pulled Bucky closer to Tony. Pepper looked up from her phone, her eyes narrowing at the two of them.

“I know that look,” she said, looking at Lo in amusement. “You’re up to something.”

“What happened?” Lo ignored, gesturing to Tony.

“Well,” Pepper sighed. “I went to walk Peter outside to the car, and when I came back Tony was drinking some of Thor’s Asgardian ale. He lasted about two minutes before passing out on the couch.”

“Have you tried waking him up?”

Pepper nodded.

“Tried, and failed. He’s out cold.”

Lo grinned.

“Hey Pepper, do you by any chance have a sharpie in your bag?”

“I do…” Pepper hesitated.

“Can I borrow it, please?”

Pepper looked once, from Tony and back to Lo again.

“I had nothing to do with this,” she conceded, rummaging through her bag to hand Lo a sharpie.

“Of course not,” Lo promised, taking the pen and creeping over to Tony. 

She poked him on the cheek a couple times, making sure he really was asleep, before uncapping the pen.

“Whatcha drawin’?” Bucky asked. She could hear the amusement in his voice.

“Just a little something to remind him of me.”

~~~~

Lo stepped back, admiring her handiwork.

Across Tony’s entire face was one great big Union Jack. She even coloured it in.

“Oh my,” Pepper said, taking the sharpie back from Lo, covering her mouth to hide her laughter.

“You’re quite the artist, Sunshine.”

“You like it?” Lo said, turning to Bucky.

“Very nice,” he smiled. 

On the couch, Tony started twitching.

“Oh shit, we should go before he wakes up. NO ONE SAY ANYTHING!” Lo said, looking at everyone still in the room. 

Sam and Steve looked at her in confusion, before they saw Tony’s face and smiled in understanding.

“My mouth is zipped,” Sam said, pretending to zip his mouth closed. Steve was fighting to keep the amusement from his face.

Pepper just looked at Lo once more.

“I hope you know, once he figures this out, he’ll want revenge.”

“I’d like to see him try,” Lo grinned, taking Bucky’s arm once more.

Pepper chuckled, waving goodbye at them, while Bucky led Lo to the main doors and towards their room.

~~~~

They were down the hall and entering the apartment section before Lo spoke.

“I want you to know, I really did have a great time tonight,” she said, looking at Bucky fondly. He smiled at her.

“Good. I’m glad you did. I know it wasn’t the most, uhh... _normal_ first date.”

“It was perfect,” she grinned, meaning it. 

Because sure, maybe it wasn’t as private as first dates usually were. And most first dates don’t involve food eating competitions with freaking _Avengers_. 

But, if anything, that only made their date so much more special.

The whole night had been perfect. So perfect, in fact, that it was the best date she’d ever had.

Despite the chaos and drunken shenanigans, she was surrounded by people she cared about. And, more importantly, they were people Bucky knew and (at least mostly) trusted. 

The last thing Lo wanted was to force Bucky into some stuffy restaurant surrounded by strangers, with no way to escape. She wanted him to be comfortable, relaxed. He could only do that in front of a few select people.

Bucky's well being was everything to her. He was the reason tonight had felt so perfect.

Lo smiled, turning to look at him. Suddenly she started to feel a little worried.

Tonight had certainly felt perfect for her, but had Bucky felt the same way?

She thought he did, but she also knew that he had possibly the best poker face in the world. 

“Did you have fun, in the end?” Lo asked, feeling anxious.

“I did,” Bucky assured her.

“Really?” 

“Really. But then, I always have fun when i’m with you,” he said, leaning down to press a kiss to her cheek. Lo blushed.

Bucky smirked. They were only a few steps away from the apartment.

He stepped forward and unlocked the door, the handle lighting up under his touch.

Bucky opened the door, gesturing for Lo to walk in first. She smiled.

With Bucky, it was all the little things. Like opening the door for her, keeping her protected, making sure he was always close or touching her in some way.

They were little gestures that showed her how much he cared about her, always finding some way to protect her or look out for her. It made her heart soar in her chest. She had never felt so cared for, so important to someone.

“What is it?” Bucky asked, looking at her curiously as he shut the door. She had been caught up thinking about him again.

“Just you,” she smiled, unable to be anything but honest with him.

“What’d I do this time?” he joked.

“Nothing. Or, maybe everything,” Lo shook her head, feeling suddenly overwhelmed. “I don’t know.”

“Have I upset you?” he asked, looking suddenly concerned.

“No- no!” Lo assured. “The opposite, actually. You make me so insanely happy, I don’t know what to do with myself. Or how to thank you.”

“Oh,” he breathed, his face breaking out into a grin. One of those sweet, rare ones, with teeth and crinkly eyes. “You don’t have to thank me, Doll. It’s enough to just be near you.”

Lo inhaled sharply, her chest tight with emotion.

“See? Like that. That’s one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me, and you act like it’s- like it’s- nothing, or something. Like it’s _easy._ ”

“Cause it is,” he smiled. “You mean alot to me, Doll. I’m only telling you the truth. It’s how I feel about you.”

“I just...I guess i’m not used to it. No one’s ever said stuff like that to me before. Not like that.”

“Really?” he asked seriously.

“Well, yeah.” she blushed, feeling shy under his imploring gaze. “I mean, i’ve dated guys before. But none of them have ever said the things you do. I guess, no one else has ever cared about me the way you do.”

Lo was surprised by how...shocked? Borderline heartbroken Bucky looked?

His blue eyes bore into hers, like he was looking straight at her soul.

“But...you’re _Lo._ ”

There was a pause. Lolita looked at him in confusion.

He said her name like it meant something. Like it explained everything.

Bucky obviously saw her bewilderment, because he continued.

“You’re- you’re so kind and caring and intelligent. Everyone I know talks about how amazing you are, and how lucky I am to be with you. Just tonight, I had Tony, Sam, Clint and Thor gush about how great and gorgeous you are-”

“But I don’t even know Thor-” Lo said, looking shocked.

“You don’t need to. Anybody who comes within 10 feet of you can tell how wonderful you are. I just- I don’t understand. I can’t believe no one’s ever told you that. You deserve to know how important you are.”

“Oh,” Lo said, her vision suddenly cloudy. She had to blink to wash away the unwanted tears.

“I’m- I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you upset-”

“You didn’t,” Lo choked out.

She shook her head and ran straight for him, her arms wrapping tight around his neck. 

He returned her hug, leaning down to press a kiss to the top of her head.

“You’re everything, Lo. Everything.”

Lo tried to blink them away, but the tears didn’t disappear this time. So she let them fall onto Bucky’s soft shirt, while she stood there and hugged him for a good few minutes.

He let her, keeping his arms tight around her waist, like he was just as desperate for her as she was.

Lo untangled her arms from around her neck, wiping under her eyes to catch any smudged mascara. 

Bucky looked at her fondly. His eyes soft and his mouth pulled up into the ghost of a smile.

“Come to dinner with me tomorrow.”

Lo looked at him in surprise.

“Really?’

Bucky nodded.

“We’ll go somewhere. Just us, this time. I want to take you on a real date, just like I promised.”

Lo smiled, her chest filled with happiness. The kind of happiness that could only be brought out by Bucky.

“Okay,” she whispered.

Bucky grinned, his gaze dropping to her lips.

“You’re gorgeous,” he replied, leaning down slowly until his lips brushed gently against hers.

Lo shivered, snaking her arms around his neck once more and pulling him closer.

She felt him smile against her lips, pulling her just as close.

Bucky began to sway, slightly at first, and then with a little more purpose. His hold moved from around her waist to either side of her hips.

He nudged her gently, encouraging her to follow his lead as he widened his steps. Lo did, trusting him to take control.

Bucky's lips brushed against hers a few more times before pulling back, breaking their kiss. 

She looked around.

The room was spinning, Bucky's hold on her hips pulling her in various directions.

They were _dancing_.

Lo threw her head back, laughing in surprise. Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was just Bucky, but she felt so warm and giddy and _happy_ \- like even her soul was shining with joy.

The sight of her laughing made him smile.

Bucky lifted an arm, grabbing her hands from around his neck and spinning her around in a slow circle.

He pulled her in again, his hands moving to catch her in a waltz hold this time. Bucky's left hand interlocked with Lo's right, his other hand on the back of her waist while hers rested on his shoulder.

He pulled her back, guiding her around the room in an elegant little dance, humming a tune under his breath.

His chest was rumbling with the sound. Lo was tempted to rest her head on his shoulder and let the vibrations travel through her- but then she would have to stop gazing into his eyes. And she wasn't willing to miss even a second of those warm, steel blue eyes.

“What are you humming?” she smiled instead.

“Our song,” Bucky said, softly. 

And then he started to sing.

“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy, when skies are grey.”

Lo looked up at him with wide, surprised eyes. 

Bucky could actually _sing_. Like really sing. His voice was warm and deep and slightly husky. It soothed her in ways she'd never felt before.

Bucky grabbed her hand again, raising it above her head.

“You’ll never know dear, how much I love you."

He twirled her around, slowly this time, before pulling her gently back to his chest. Lo couldn't take her eyes off him. She was pretty sure her mouth was open in surprise.

Bucky looked at her in mild amusement.

 _Beautiful,_. Lo thought. It was all she could seem to think. _Beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful._

Bucky opened his mouth to sing again, his eyes never once moving from hers.

"Please don’t take my sunshine away.”

They slowed until they were no longer dancing, just holding each other. Bucky's arms moved to wrap around her waist.

Lo placed her hands on his chest, looking up at him in awe.

"What?" he whispered, smiling at her. Lo shook her head, her words failing her. She did the next best thing.

Reaching up, she tangled her hands in his hair and pulled him gently towards her. Bucky's forehead rested on hers for a moment, his eyes searching hers.

Lo leaned in, capturing his lips in their softest kiss yet.

It felt like a cloud. Like she was kissing cotton candy, his lips melting into hers.

Lo didn’t want to let him go. Maybe ever.

Some part of her brain suggested that was probably irrational, but she chose to ignore it.

“Will you- will you stay with me tonight?” Bucky asked, breaking their kiss. “It makes me feel better, knowing you’re close.”

“You didn’t even have to ask,” Lo smiled. “I just need to get changed first.”

“Alright,” Bucky nodded, letting her go. His hands hesitated on her back, like some part of him couldn't quite release her.

She put her hands on his chest, taking a step back. Bucky sighed.

~~~~

Lo turned and practically sprinted to her room, wanting to get back to Bucky as soon as possible.

She opened her door and shut it behind her, before grabbing a pair of pajamas and changing out of her dress.

Lo eyed the data pad on her bed before eventually grabbing it, deciding to send a quick message to Shuri.

‘The date was AMAZING. Thank you for your help, i’ll talk to you tomorrow x.’

Lo went to the bathroom, taking off her makeup and letting her hair down from its confusing arrangement of curls.

When she walked back to her room she saw Shuri had replied.

‘YAY! Don’t forget to use protection!’

Lo’s jaw dropped in shock and she felt her face heat up.

She wanted to go there with Bucky. She really, _really_ did. But as eager as she was, Lo knew tonight wasn't the right time. 

She wanted her first time with Bucky to be special, as silly as that might sound. He was important to her, and she wanted to do it right. She wanted to be prepared.

Lo thought about her date with Bucky the next day. Their second date- this time all on their own.

Lo grinned, feeling mischievous.

 _That night_ , she thought. That night could be perfect.

Lo went next door to Bucky’s room. He was standing next to the closet, his back bare to her as he took off his shirt for bed.

Lo felt her mouth water, just a little.

She didn't know if she could wait till tomorrow anymore.

Bucky turned to her, and she realised he was already in sweat pants for bed.

A shame she didn’t get to see him change into those too. Or maybe a blessing, because then there would be no chance of waiting for their date.

“You alright, Doll?” Bucky asked, walking towards her.

“Perfect,” she smiled.

Lo looked around, if only to take her eyes off his _very_ muscled chest, and back onto safe territory. She realised in surprise that his room had been cleaned since the last time she saw it. 

The cushions she'd thrown had been placed back on the couch. The broken lamp had been removed and replaced with a new one. It all looked brand new again.

Bucky reached out a hand, which she took, and led her back to the bed.

He pulled back the covers, making sure they were both settled, before flicking off the lights and lying down.

Lo moved so that her head was resting on his chest. Bucky sighed, pulling her even closer.

“Any knives I need to worry about?” Lo joked. She felt, more than heard, Bucky chuckle beneath her.

“Just the same ones as last time.”

“Oh good,” she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes even though he couldn’t see her. 

“Does it really bother you?” he asked seriously.

Lo didn’t hesitate before answering.

“No,” she said honestly. “I know you feel more comfortable having them near. And I want you to feel as comfortable as possible.”

Bucky was quiet for a moment.

“Oh,” he said, barely above a whisper. 

“What is it?”

“Nothing. Just- you keep surprising me, that’s all.”

“How so?” Lo asked, her face scrunched in confusion.

“You put my feelings before your own, Doll. Ain’t no sane person is comfortable sleeping around knives, but you know they reassure me, so you don’t mind.”

“Of course not,” Lo said. “I just want you to be okay.”

Bucky chuckled, sounding a little in awe. 

“Yeah, i’m just not used to that. Same way you’re not used to being complimented, I guess.”

“Well,” Lo smiled. “You better get used to it, Big Guy, because your happiness is currently my number one priority.”

Lo couldn’t see it, in the dark, but Bucky was currently giving her one of his rare, full teeth, crinkly eyes grins.

“Alright, Sunshine,” he said, pulling her impossibly closer.

~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the end of chapter 14! God, i can't believe this fic is already over 50,000 words.  
> I feel like i've already said this before, but i *think* we're officially at half way now. Or at least close.
> 
> (We probably aren't.)
> 
> I hope you're all having a wonderful day, leave a comment if you can, i love hearing all that you have to say. <3


	15. Pancakes, Self Defense and Shopping Plans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I hope you're all having a good week! Here's another update for ya- let me know what you thought in the comments below!

Lo awoke to the feeling of gentle but calloused fingers running through her hair. She sighed in contentment, nuzzling the muscled chest below her cheek.

“G’mornin, Sunshine,” Bucky said, kissing her hairline.

Lo turned, propping her chin on his chest so she could look at him.

His eyes were a soft, sleepy blue. His long hair fanned out on the pillow like a halo. It was getting long, Lo realised. Almost past his shoulders.

Bucky smiled at her.

“Good morning,” Lo smiled.

They just stared at each other for a moment, neither one wanting to move away from the other. Bucky’s hand continued to pull gently through her hair. It was almost enough to coax Lo back to sleep again.

“Pardon me, Dr. Haynes,” Friday’s robotic voice interrupted.

Lo had to restrain from sighing, feeling disappointed that their little moment was interrupted. 

Bucky’s eyes narrowed and his gaze shot around the room, as if trying to find the A.I. so he could break it for interrupting them.

“Yes, Friday?” Lo called, smiling at Bucky's glare.

“Sir appears to be still unconscious after last night's...escapade. Ms Potts has asked me to inform you that all your work is to be cancelled for the day, given Mr. Stark's absence.”

“Pepper gave me the day off?” Lo asked in surprise.

“Stark is still passed out?” Bucky said incredulously.

“Yes to both questions,” Friday answered.

“Huh,” Lo chuckled. “Looks like i’m yours for the day, Barnes.”

Bucky’s eyes turned hungry and he smirked.

“Hmmm. I wonder what we could do.”

His eyes drifted to her mouth. Lo pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, admiring the way Bucky’s eyes darkened at the gesture.

“Actually,” Friday said, interrupting once again. Bucky huffed. “I should remind you that you agreed to train with Ms. Romanoff this morning, Mr. Barnes.”

“Shit,” Bucky swore. “Hey, uh, computer- what time is it?”

“8am, Mr. Barnes, and you may call me Friday.”

Bucky groaned again. 

“Sorry, Doll. Looks like duty calls.”

“It’s alright,” Lo smiled. “Come on, i’ll make you breakfast before you go.”

It was the least she could do, considering her schedule had just been completely cleared. She'd have to thank Pepper later. 

Lo thought about Tony, who was apparently still unconscious, and was torn between feeling smug...and a little afraid. When Tony woke up he was going to be _pissed_ at her. 

Oh well, she could worry about that later.

Bucky registered Lo's offer to cook and his eyes lit up in excitement. He threw back the blankets, and Lo, and leapt out of bed.

Lo fell to the side in a huff, ready to cuss him out for being an idiot, before his arms went under her knees and around her back, silencing her. 

Bucky stood, picking Lo up bridal style, and carried her towards the kitchen.

Lo yelped in surprise, wrapping her hands around his neck like her life depended on it. He chuckled at her, tightening his hold so she was snuggling his chest.

“Jesus, Buck, give a girl a warning,” Lo giggled.

“And miss the chance to surprise you by sweeping you off your feet? Never.”

Bucky walked to the kitchen, still carrying her in his arms. He paused in front of the stove.

“Well sorry, handsome. But if you want any pancakes, you’re gonna have to put me down.”

“Pancakes?” Bucky asked. His gaze snapped from the counter and straight to her. Lo could've sworn that was awe in his eyes.

“Yeah. You know, with maple syrup and berries and stuff. Unless you don’t like pancakes?” she asked uncertainly.

Bucky immediately let go, almost dropping Lo to the floor, before quickly steadying her at the last second.

“No. Please, I love pancakes.”

He was looking at her with those wide blue eyes again, the ones that reminded her so much of a puppy dog. How was she ever going to say ‘no’ when he looked at her like that? Lo shook her head with a huff.

“Alright then, Soldier. Pancakes it is. Now get out of the kitchen and go get ready for your training.”

Bucky pouted at her.

Lo was momentarily shocked. She had never seen Bucky pout before. It transformed his whole face, making him look years younger. And somehow even cuter.

Who knew that all it took was a little food to turn the Winter Soldier into an adorable little kid?

“Go,” Lo giggled, pushing him out the door. “I promise there will be pancakes waiting for you when you get back.”

That seemed to get him going and Bucky left, speed walking back to his room to get ready.

Lo chuckled, shaking her head.

How had she gotten so tangled up with the world's most deadliest, food-driven assassin?

~~~~

True to her word, Lo had managed to scramble together two full stacks of pancakes just as Bucky was leaving the shower. With maple syrup, whipped cream and various berries on the side. 

It seemed Friday had taken the initiative and fully stocked their kitchen, much to Lo’s glee.

Bucky approached her carefully, eyes wide and full of hunger.

He was wearing a long sleeved black shirt and combat pants, his long hair leaving little water droplets on his shoulders. And he smelled divine, like something wild and warm and innately Bucky. It was even better than the pancakes.

Lo heard his stomach rumble and she grinned.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, looking a little sheepish. “It’s the serum. Boosts my metabolism, makes me hungry all the time.”

“It’s alright, I remember,” Lo assured. She was reminded of the first meal she shared with Bucky and Steve, back at the palace, where he and the Captain ate enough to feed a small village.

Lo smiled at the memory, before grabbing Bucky’s plate, stacked high with pancakes and toppings, and set it down on the island countertop. Bucky sat down.

Lo handed him a knife and fork, and he dove in immediately.

She couldn’t fight the grin on her face. Something about seeing Bucky eat something she cooked, and clearly enjoying it, made her feel all warm and happy inside.

Lo grabbed a separate plate, sitting down next to him to eat as well.

There was a moment of silence, and then-

Bucky let out a huge moan, and Lo damn near dropped her fork.

“This is _amazing_ , Doll,” Bucky said, his mouth filled with food.

Lo chuckled, trying to ignore the feeling Bucky’s moans had stirred inside her.

He groaned again, taking another mouth full of food, and Lo twisted on her chair.

 _Not the time_ , she tried telling herself. _Get a hold of yourself._ But she couldn't fight the heat from creeping onto her cheeks.

Thankfully, Lo was so focused on ignoring Bucky’s moans that she didn’t even notice as he powered through his plate. 

He used his fork to scrape up the last of the maple syrup, smiling in satisfaction.

It had probably taken him less than a minute, but he had finished a full stack of pancakes. And he looked like he could eat another.

Lo chuckled at him, sliding over her half eaten stack of pancakes.

Bucky looked at her in uncertainty.

“Take it,” she said, nudging the plate in his direction.

He hesitated.

“Please, i’m not hungry,” she assured. 

_Not hungry for pancakes, anyway._ Bucky's groans were still replaying in her head.

Bucky took the plate from her, looking a little guilty, before he dug in once again.

Lo’s eyes dropped to his mouth as he bit down on a forkful of food.

His lips were bright pink and full as they wrapped around the fork. Bucky moaned, savouring the taste, before his tongue darted out to lick at the cream on the corner of his mouth.

 _Uh oh_ , Lo’s imagination was about to get out of hand.

She stood abruptly, needing an escape before she did something ridiculous like climb on Bucky’s lap and tried to make him moan like that for her.

Lo grabbed Bucky’s first plate hurriedly, scuttling off to the kitchen to wash the dishes.

_She would not climb Bucky while he was eating breakfast, she would not-_

“You alright, Doll?” Bucky called, as Lo began scrubbing the same plate for the third minute in a row. 

“Fine,” Lo squeaked.

Bucky came up behind her, placing his dish in the sink and grabbing a towel to begin drying.

“You know, Sunshine, I was thinking,” Bucky said, completely oblivious to Lo’s internal meltdown. “Did you want to come watch me train with Natasha? I know it probably isn’t that interesting for you, but i just thought-”

“I’d love to,” Lo smiled, cutting him off.

“Oh,” Bucky said, clearly surprised. “Uh, okay. Here, let me finish these while you go get ready.”

Lo breathed a sigh of relief. 

She needed a second to breathe before she could think clearly around him again.

“Alright, thanks, Big Guy. I’ll be back in a sec,”

Lo planted a quick kiss on his cheek before darting back to her room.

~~~~

She emerged again a few minutes later, feeling much better after splashing a bit of cold water on her face.

When she left the room Bucky was no longer in the kitchen.

“Buck?” she called.

“In here,” he answered.

She followed his voice and found him in his room, standing in front of the small mirror kept by his closet.

“You okay?” Lo asked. He looked frustrated.

“Yeah, just-” Bucky ran a hand through his hair, pulling it back from his face and tucking it behind his ear.

“What’s the matter?” Lo asked, coming to stand beside him.

“My hair. It’s getting too long. I can’t train anymore without it falling in my eyes, but...I don't want to cut it.”

Lo grabbed his hand, looking at him through the reflection of the mirror. 

“Why-” she cleared her throat, “Why don’t you want to cut it?”

Bucky’s eyes looked far away.

“Its-It’s like a reminder, I guess? Everytime I look in the mirror, I see the soldier, but I remind myself that i’m not him anymore. It makes me feel...better, I guess. Remembering how far i’ve come.”

“Oh,” Lo said, her chest suddenly tight with emotion.

She thought for a moment.

“You know, I could show you how to braid it, if you want? Or how to tie it up so it stops falling out when you train?”

“Really?” he asked, eyes hopeful.

“Of course,” Lo smiled. “Here, duck down a little.”

Bucky ducked down so that Lo could reach up and touch his hair, while he could still watch what she was doing in the mirror.

She ran her fingers over either side of his head, gathering the top half while leaving the bottom half free.

She looked at Bucky in the mirror.

His eyes were trained on her hands intently, no doubt memorising every move. The loose strands of hair around his face were pulled back neatly, keeping out of his eyes while still maintaining the length. It suited him.

Lo grabbed the spare hair tie from her wrist, tying the top half of Bucky’s hair back into a low ponytail. 

She finished, resting her arms on his shoulders.

“Better?” she asked.

Bucky studied his reflection, awfully silent. Lo was beginning to get worried.

“It’s perfect,” he said, spinning around to pull her into the biggest bear hug yet.

“Oof-” Lo exclaimed, wrapping her arms around his neck and laughing. “I’m glad you like it, big guy.”

“Thank you, Doll.”

“Don’t thank me,” she grinned, breathing in the scent of his cologne. “I’m just glad you’re happy.”

~~~~

Bucky led Lo towards the gym after their impromptu little cuddle session. His hair was still pulled back into its ponytail, and his head looked to be raised a little higher. 

He looked happy, maybe even proud. 

It made Lo’s heart swell to see him so confident.

He was currently toying with one of his knives, throwing it into the air and catching it masterfully.

It made Lo anxious. She knew if she tried anything close to what he was doing, she would surely cut off her own hand.

Bucky didn’t even seem to be aware of what he was doing, but for Lo it was another reminder of how strong and deadly he truly was. 

She thought back to the weapon she made him, feeling once again excited, and anxious, to give it to him. She debated giving it to him now, to practice with after his training with Natasha, but something about giving it to him now just didn’t feel right.

It felt like she was waiting for the right moment. When that would be, well, who knows.

Bucky's metal hand held hers, guiding her smoothly through the halls until they reached the gym.

The doors were already open, and Natasha was inside waiting for them.

“You’re early,” she smirked.

“Lolita’s staying to watch,” he grumbled.

Lo couldn’t help but chuckle at the way Bucky seemed to interact with the other Avengers. Always so stoic and gruff, nothing like the excited little kid he was at breakfast this morning.

“How are you, маленького шпиончика.” Natasha asked.

Lo furrowed her brows in concentration. Natasha had called her a pet name in Russian.

“Little spy?” Lo questioned, after taking a second to translate.

“Yes. After you saw right through me last night, during the whole chili act. 'Mаленького шпиончика' seems like a fitting name.”

 _Ohh, right._ Lo didn’t have the heart to tell Natasha that she hadn’t _technically_ seen right through the act. She just had way too much faith in the Black Widow.

“Ah, I see,” Lo laughed.

Bucky led her to a nearby bench so she could sit down, while he turned to face Natasha on the sparring mat.

“Come to watch your boyfriend get his ass kicked?” Nat smirked. Lo felt her brows raise.

“Is that what’s about to happen?”

“Yeah, right,” Bucky huffed.

Then, without warning, Natasha lunged.

Bucky swore, diving to the side to avoid the hit.

Lo gasped. She wasn’t even part of the fight and she was scared.

Bucky returned, jumping at Nat, who swiftly spun around and dodged Bucky’s attack.

 _This is insane_ , Lo thought. While Bucky and Steve fought with a fierceness and raw strength, Bucky and Nat fought much more silently and quickly. Lo’s eyes were constantly darting around to try and keep up, but they were too fast for her.

One second it looked like Bucky was in the lead, the next Natasha had her legs wrapped around his shoulders and was pulling him to the ground.

It was clear Bucky had strength and size over Nat, but she used her speed to her advantage, narrowly avoiding his hits before they landed.

It was, if possible, even more mesmerizing than watching Steve and Bucky fight, and Lo was completely entranced.

Nat was so vicious but elegant, and Bucky so powerful and threatening. They fought for almost an hour without stopping, alternating between who was dominating the fight.

Maybe Lo was a little biased, but she was 99% sure Bucky was winning.

The pair finally pulled apart after Bucky grappled Nat to the ground and managed to get her into a rather painful looking headlock. Nat eventually tapped out, and Bucky released her.

Natasha stood up, taking Bucky’s outstretched hand for support.

“That was...terrifying,” Lo chuckled.

Nat rubbed her neck, working out some of the pain, while Bucky stood there looking proud of himself.

“You think that’s bad? Wait until you see the real fights,” Nat smirked.

“No thanks. I saw the footage from the hydra base in Munich. That was scary enough for me,” Lo chuckled.

Nat got a certain look in her eyes.

“Really? Not much of a fighter?”

Bucky turned to look at Nat, his expression suddenly guarded.

“Um, no, not really. I’m more of a healer, I guess.”

“Hmm,” Nat hummed. “That’s a shame. You could make a good fighter, _Little spy_. You’ve got a spark in you. I’ve seen it.”

“Natalia,” Bucky scolded. 

Lo felt confused. 

“Me? A spark? Are you sure?” she laughed. “I’m much better with a scalpel than a switchblade.”

“I’m sure. You’re very passionate. I’ve seen you stand up to Tony several times now.”

“Well, sure, I mean, but that’s Tony- he’s not a trained super villain or whatever.”

Nat shrugged, ignoring Bucky’s glare.

“Still, you’ve got fight inside you. You could be strong, if you had a decent teacher.”

_Teacher?_

“She’s _fine_ ,” Bucky practically growled. Nat rolled her eyes.

“What?” Nat said, turning on Bucky. “You don’t want her to be able to defend herself?”

Wait- Nat wanted to teach Lo how to- how to _fight?_

“She doesn’t need to. She’s safe here, and she has me.”

“And what about when you're not around?” Nat asked, raising a brow.

Bucky was silent, his mouth pulled into a tense line.

“I’m just saying. If you really care about her safety, don’t you think she should know how to protect herself? Especially if you two are...well, getting serious. She might need it, considering how...unstable, our lives can be.”

Bucky looked at Lo, who was still feeling rather confused by the whole situation.

“It’s up to her,” he finally grumbled.

Nat turned to look at Lo.

“Uhh…” Lo said elegantly.

“What do you say, маленького шпиончика? Want to learn some self defense?” Nat smirked.

Lo felt her breath catch.

The black widow was offering to teach her how to fight.

On one hand, that was the scariest offer Lo had ever received. Like seriously, she saw what Nat did to Bucky just now. She did _not_ want to be a victim of that.

But on the other hand, well, maybe Nat was right.

Bucky’s life was dangerous. Lo was learning to accept that. And being part of his life could put her at risk. She should know how to take care of herself in case something happened.

She wouldn’t rely on Bucky to save her. He needed to be able to focus on himself, should anything go wrong.

Lo steeled herself, pointing her chin a little.

“научи меня.”

_Teach me._

~~~~

Nat had smirked, before turning to Bucky smugly.

“See? She’s got fight, your куколка.”

 _Your Doll,_ Nat had called her.

Lo liked being called that.

Bucky grumbled, still looking unhappy about the whole situation. Lo could tell he wanted her to stay safe, and he would never try to make decisions for her, but he was very reluctant to let her train with the Black Widow.

Lo couldn’t say she blamed him.

“Come here,” Nat said, gesturing for Lo to follow her onto the sparring mat.

“Have you ever had any hand to hand combat training before?” the redhead asked.

Lo nodded nervously.

“A little. My dad made me take some self defense classes before I travelled. He was worried about me working in third world countries on my own.”

“Good,” Nat nodded. Then she settled into a fighting stance.

Lo did the same, a little more slowly.

Bucky hovered closely nearby.

“будьте осторожны, Natalia.”

Bucky was telling Nat to be careful. It didn’t exactly fill Lo with much confidence.

“Just follow my moves,” Nat said, as she began demonstrating different punches and kicks.

~~~~

Training with Nat was, surprisingly, fun.

It was still terrifying, of course. And Lo was pretty sure she had never been this tired in her _life_ , but it was still fun.

Nat went through everything slowly, making sure Lo understood each move and had the right technique, before moving on to the next one.

It was slow at the start, but soon Lo started getting pretty good at it.

There was a certain rhythm to fighting, like there was with stitching, or even designing. Once Lo found her rhythm, she was fine.

Nat called it quits after an hour or so, when Lo looked ready to collapse to the floor.

“That was good, маленького шпиончика,” Nat smiled. “I’m impressed. You’re a fast learner.”

“You’re a good teacher,” Lo grinned.

Bucky walked towards them.

He had been watching the training session intently from the side, scolding Nat whenever he thought she was going too hard. Which was often.

“Nat’s right. You do have some fight in you,” he smiled softly at her. Lo’s grin widened.

“Thanks, Big guy.”

Nat furrowed her brows, which for her was like a full blown scowl.

“Gross,” she said. “Tony said you guys were all lovey dovey, but Big Guy? Really?”

Lo couldn’t help but laugh while Bucky glared at Nat.

“Same time tomorrow?” Lo asked.

Nat nodded.

“Don’t be late,” she smirked.

Nat grabbed her stuff before turning and walking out of the gym, leaving Bucky and Lo behind.

“How can she be so cool and yet so terrifying at the same time?” Lo asked Bucky, watching Nat’s retreating figure.

Bucky chuckled and rolled his eyes.

“Who knows, Doll.”

“You know, you’re like that too sometimes, Soldier.”

“What, cool and terrifying?” Bucky chuckled.

“Yeah. You have this face you make,”

Lo did a poor imitation of Bucky’s scowl. The one he usually had when he was anywhere near Sam Wilson.

Bucky looked at her, making that exact scowl.

“See!” Lo laughed, gesturing to his face. “It’s all scary and intimidating. But like, in a cool way. Not a creepy way.”

Bucky rolled his eyes at her.

“Gee, thanks, Doll. Glad to know i’m not creepy.”

His tone was moody, but Lo knew he was only teasing.

“You should be. Most other men at _your age_ can be very creepy,”

Bucky raised a serious brow.

“Are you calling me _old_ , Sunshine?”

“And what if I am?” Lo grinned.

Bucky’s gaze turned predatory. His eyes narrowed.

“I’d be careful what you say next, котеночек.”

_Kitten._

Lo bit her lip, feeling brave after her training with Natasha.

“Or what, Old man?”

Bucky pounced, and Lo turned and sprinted for the exit, shrieking hysterically.

She got maybe 5 steps, six if she was lucky, before Bucky’s arms snatched tight around her waist and he hoisted her into the air.

“PUT ME DOWN!” Lo squealed, her world suddenly upside down.

“I dunno, Doll. You said some pretty mean things to me. I’m not sure I should.”

Bucky started pacing, with Lo still on his shoulder, his arms around her waist. The back of her head was near his butt, and she half a mind to pinch him.

Bucky jostled her, adjusting his grip, and Lo squealed again.

“Bucky!!” she shouted.

“What?” 

“Put me down! Please!” 

Her face started to feel red, all the blood rushing to her head.

“And why would I do that? You haven’t even said sorry.”

“I’M SORRY!” Lo called, her arms flailing, trying to grab on to his shoulders.

Bucky hummed, as if contemplating, and continued walking her around the gym.

There was a deep chuckle from what Lo assumed was the entrance to the gym.

“Am I interrupting something?” the voice said. Steve’s voice.

Bucky spun around so that Lo could see him.

Steve was standing by the door, amusement clear on his face. From Lo’s point of view, he was upside down.

“Bucky won’t put me down-” Lo said, the same time Bucky said, “She’s callin’ me names.”

“Uh huh,” Steve grinned. 

“Help a girl out, would you, Cap?”

“I dunno, you look like you’re having fun.”

Lo huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. She was starting to feel light headed.

Let it be known that Captain America was _not_ as nice and chivalrous as the world seemed to think.

“I said sorry!”

Bucky turned again, facing Steve, and Lo was suddenly shown the back wall of the gym.

“She called me old,” Bucky explained, taking his sweet time while Lo was undoubtedly turning as red as a tomato.

“I see,” Steve replied, the smile still in his voice. “You know, I don’t want to interfere, but uh, maybe you should put her down. Before she passes out.”

Bucky jostled his shoulder, as if making sure Lo was still conscious. Lo squeaked.

This man. This 100 year old little _shit_ , was her boyfriend. Or her, whatever you call it. Bucky said they didn’t need labels, but they were serious. So her...what? Significant other?

Her _Bucky_ , she decided. 

God help her.

Bucky crouched, pulling her back over his shoulder and resting her gently on the ground.

Lo had to place an arm on his shoulder to steady herself, afraid she’d fall over, as all the blood went rushing back from her head.

Bucky stood back up once he was sure she was steady, sending her a flashing grin.

Lo huffed. Steve continued watching them both in amusement.

“So, punk. Whatcha doin’ here anyways?” Bucky asked.

“Came to see what you guys were doing. Friday told me Lo was sparring with Natahsa?” he arched a brow.

“Training,” Lo corrected. “Nat offered to teach me some things, so that I can defend myself. You know, in case anything happens.”

“She’s good,” Bucky admitted, turning his gaze to Lo.

“Really?” Steve asked.

“It’s only been one lesson,” Lo rolled her eyes, her cheeks flushing at the compliment.

“Exactly. You’re already learning quickly. And you’re strong too. I could tell even Natasha was impressed.”

“Really?”

Bucky nodded at her.

“Oh, well, thanks,” Lo mumbled, her face flushing even darker.

Steve cleared his throat.

“Also, Nat and I are having dinner at Clint’s tonight. You’re invited.”

“Oh,” Bucky said, “actually, uh, we have plans. I’m taking Lo on that date I was telling you about?”

Steve’s brows rose in surprise and he grinned.

“Oh, good. I’ll let Nat and Clint know you’re busy. Do you, uh, need a hand with anything?”

Bucky shook his head.

“I’ve already got it planned, thanks, pal.”

Lo turned to look at Bucky in a mixture of surprise and curiosity. She hadn’t even thought about what their plan was for the night, only that it involved dinner. The idea that Bucky actually _planned_ for something made her excited.

Truthfully, he could sit with her in the kitchen of their apartment, eating cereal, and Lo would still consider it the best date ever. As long as she had Bucky, what did it matter what they did?

Still, though. The idea that Bucky had planned something made her giddy.

“Can I ask what we’re doing?” Lo smiled, biting her lip.

“You can ask, but i’m not tellin’ ya,” Bucky chuckled.

“But how will I know what to wear if I don’t know where we’re going?”

“Wear whatever you want, I don’t care,” Bucky shrugged. Lo rolled her eyes. Boys.

He sensed her frustration and smiled. 

“Fine, wear something nice, then. We’ll probably be outside for a bit.”

Outside?

Lo’s mind was reeling, trying to work out what Bucky had planned. 

If they were going to be outside, she’d need to bring a coat. Which, she realised, all her nice ones were at her parents house in England. 

“I need to go shopping,” Lo said, screwing up her face.

“In the city?” Steve clarified. 

“Yeah. It’s fine, i’ll see if Happy’s around to drive me.”

“I’ll come with you,” Bucky said. It was a suggestion, but he sounded serious.

“Are you sure?” Lo asked “Won’t you be recognised?”

Lo couldn’t understand why Bucky would want to go. She was only going shopping? She was sure Bucky wouldn’t be comfortable with all those people, out in public where they could all see him.

Bucky’s posture had straightened, and he got that serious look on his face again. He was standing the way he did when he was trying to protect her from something.

Steve looked at Bucky.

“I’d feel more comfortable if you had someone there to protect you. You know, in case something happened,” Bucky clarified.

“ _Is_ something going to happen?” Lo asked incredulously.

“No, but there's always a possibility. Nat and I will go with you, just in case,” Steve said.

Christ, when had her shopping trip turned into a spy mission?

“Usually i’d invite Clint, but with his leg, he won’t be much good,” Steve added on.

Bucky nodded, then turned to look at Lo.

“Sorry Doll, do you mind?”

Lo thought about it. She knew it would ease Bucky’s mind, but she also wasn’t a little kid. She didn’t need escorts.

“A little,” she admitted. “Won’t it just draw more attention? I mean, no offence Steve, but you’re pretty recognisable.”

“Nat knows a place that’s quiet. We’re less likely to be recognised there.”

Lo blew out a breath.

If being with Bucky meant she had to take a few extra body guards, then so be it.

“As long as you don’t mind. And Nat doesn’t either,” Lo said.

Steve shook his head.

“She won’t. In fact, she’ll be glad to get out of the compound.”

Lo nodded.

“Okay. And you have to promise not to make it obvious. I don’t want 3 superheroes trying to follow me into a changing stall.”

Bucky chuckled.

“Of course, Doll. Steve and Nat will keep their distance, just to make sure you’re safe.”

“Alright.”

Bucky let out a breath in what looked like relief. Lo’s heart melted a little. 

She forgot, sometimes, how protective Bucky was.

He didn’t want to annoy her, but Lo could see, in that teeny tiny breath of relief, just how much it meant to him that she’d conceded. 

She was important to him. Lo was beginning to realise that. And he was important to her, so she’d do whatever she could to make him happy.

Even if that meant letting Steve, Nat and Bucky follow her around a mall like guard dogs.

If it made Bucky feel better, knowing he’d be there to personally protect her (from what exactly, she still wasn’t sure), then that’s what she’d do.

“Thanks, Doll,” Bucky murmured.

“We’ll leave in an hour?” Steve suggested, Lo nodded, her eyes meeting Bucky’s. She smiled at him in reassurance.

Yes. If it made Bucky feel better, and it wasn’t hurting anyone, then of course she’d say yes. 

In fact, she’d probably always say yes to him- whether he realised it or not.

~~~~


	16. Do You Even Have A Licence?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another week, another update!
> 
> I hope everyone's having a great week. Thank you so much for continuing to read this story! I'm very excited for Chapter 17, I have a feeling you guys are gonna like it.
> 
> -Artemis

Lo walked with Bucky back to their apartment, letting him take the first shower.

She tried not to stare when he emerged a few minutes later, wearing nothing but a towel hung suspiciously low on his waist. But, judging by the smirk on his face, she failed.

Lo's cheeks felt hot, and she practically ran past him to get to the shower. The water was ice cold on her skin.

Bucky was waiting for her at the kitchen island when she finished. He was fixing his hair, tying it back like she'd shown him earlier.

“It’s summer, do you really need so many layers?” Lo grinned.

Bucky was wearing what looked to be a t-shirt, under a henley, under a jacket. She chuckled. 

It was clear that he was trying to be covert- blend in with the general public. But even when he tried, Bucky was so much... _bigger, stronger, fitter._ It was almost impossible not to notice him.

“It helps to hide the arm,” he said, gesturing to his gloved hand. “And, you know, the rest.”

 _The knives_ , Lo figured. She shook her head at him.

“How many knives this time?”

“14,” Bucky said, without missing a beat. Lo’s brows shot up to her hairline.

_Where did a person even hide that many weapons?_

Steve emerged to her left, catching Lo’s attention.

“Nat is there already, scoping the place out. I’ll drive you.”

He was wearing a baseball cap, pulled low over his eyes, and clearly fake prescription glasses. Lo screwed up her face.

“Uh, Cap? What’s with the-” Lo lifted a hand, gesturing to her whole face.

“It’s a disguise,” Steve replied.

Lo gave him a thorough once over.

The “disguise” did absolutely nothing to hide his hulking figure. He was still very clearly Captain America, this time with glasses and a hat.

“But I can still clearly see you?”

“Yeah, well, it helps,” Steve defended, squaring his shoulders. Lo grinned.

“Honestly, Steve, if anything it only draws _more_ attention.”

Steve looked affronted for a moment, turning to Bucky for support. His blue eyes were incredulous under the thick black rim of his fake glasses.

“Yeah, the disguise doesn’t work at all,” Bucky deadpanned.

“What?! Why haven’t you ever said anything?” Steve said, looking shocked.

Lo realised in surprise, and joy, that Steve had obviously worn this little...costume? In public before. And Bucky had never bothered to tell him how bad of a disguise it was.

“Cause it’s funnier to see you walk around in glasses and a hat for no reason,” Bucky grinned, looking mischievous.

Steve's jaw dropped in surprise.

“You let me go out in public, wearing glasses and a hat, for no reason?”

“It was funny,” Bucky grinned. “I wanted to see how long it took you to realise that everyone can still see you.”

“But no ones ever recognised me in public before,” Steve all but pouted.

“Uh, yeah they have, pal,” Bucky chuckled. “They’re just too polite, or maybe scared, to say anything.”

“Well, shit.”

Lo laughed at him. 

Poor Steve, getting all dressed up in his “disguise” for no reason. Bucky’s grin turned into a smirk. 

Steve rolled his eyes, taking off his fake glasses and throwing them on the kitchen counter. He still kept the hat.

“Come on and get in the car, before I change my mind and leave you here,” Steve chuckled.

Bucky looked back at Lo, rolling his eyes at Steve’s antics. 

Lo’s heart skipped a beat. She was still getting used to seeing Bucky so relaxed and playful.

He offered a hand, which she gladly took, and the pair of them followed Steve out of the apartment and to the garage.

~~~~

Lo’s brows shot up once they entered the garage. 

There were at least 12 brand new shiny sports cars all lined up, with various other vehicles around them.

She shouldn’t be surprised, considering Tony Stark lived here, but still- the sight of all those shining new cars was enough to make her stop dead in her tracks.

“Can you even drive these things?” Lo asked, looking at Steve.

Steve sent her a coy half smile, grabbing a set of keys and walking to the left most car.

A full black Aston Martin DB11 AMR.

Lo didn’t know much about cars, but she could tell this one was expensive.

“Of course I can drive. I’m Captain America.”

Lo sent him an incredulous look. 

That wasn’t an answer, and he knew it.

“Do you even have a license?!” she asked.

Steve unlocked the car. Lo climbed into the back seat, while he and Bucky got into the front.

It was a tight squeeze, but she was small enough to make it work.

“I’m Captain America,” Steve said again, smiling at her in the rear view mirror.

 _Oh God_ , Lo thought. _She was gonna die. She was so going to die-_

Steve put his foot down, speeding out of the garage, and Lo yelped in surprise.

Bucky turned to grin at her.

“Not you too!” Lo shouted. The boys were clearly enjoying this.

“I thought we were going on some high security spy mission to the mall- not a joyride!”

“Relax, sunshine,” Bucky chuckled, reaching back a hand to rest on her knee.

Her gaze shot immediately to his hand, relishing the warm weight on the inside of her knee.

If his hand went any higher, she might start squealing for a different reason.

Steve slowed down, driving them out of the compound and to whatever mall they were going to.

The engine revved, bringing a grin to Bucky’s face. Lo all but rolled her eyes.

“And here I thought we were going for ‘covert’”, she said sarcastically. Steve laughed.

“We are, but Tony spends all this money on cars. It’d be a shame not to use them.”

The car revved again. Lo’s hand reached out to clutch Bucky’s.

The two boys laughed again, feeling way too proud of themselves. Lo shook her head.

Her _life._

~~~~

Nat was waiting for them in the car park when they arrived. Her hoodie pulled up over her hair, big sunglasses on her face.

It was strange seeing her in casual clothes when Lo was used to seeing her in all black. But, admittedly, her disguise was much more effective than Steve’s.

“Everyone know the plan?” Nat asked on their approach. Bucky nodded, but it was Steve who answered.

“You and I will hang back and keep watch. Bucky stays with Lolita.”

Nat nodded.

Bucky reached out a hand, which Lo took, and led her towards the mall.

His eyes were alert, scanning the area thoroughly.

Lo realised in surprise that it was probably the first time he had been out in public since she had met him in Wakanda. It was her first time, too.

She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, trying not to look back at Nat and Steve who were undoubtedly following them.

Bucky didn’t look back at her, his eyes still assessing their surroundings as they entered the mall, but he gave her hand a squeeze back.

~~~~

Nat had picked a good location. Despite being a fairly large mall, most shops were empty of people. And anyone who was there seemed happy to keep to themselves, paying no mind to Bucky and Lo.

She let out a breath, feeling better now that there weren't so many people. Bucky finally looked at her.

“You alright, Doll?” he asked. Lo nodded.

“We all clear?” she joked, looking around to try and spot their bodyguards.

Steve was sat on a nearby bench, glancing around occasionally, while Nat was nowhere to be seen.

“All clear,” Bucky smiled. “Where to first?”

Lo didn’t recognise many of the store names, so just chose the nearest one. 

Bucky followed her inside, his hand still in hers.

The woman at the front gave them a warm smile as they entered, telling Lo to shout if she needed any help. Lo smiled at her gratefully, leading Bucky to one side of the store.

She checked the various racks, looking for something to wear for their date, while Bucky stood dutifully at her side.

She realised she didn’t really know what, exactly, she was looking for- considering Bucky still hadn’t told her what they were doing.

“Any more hints?” she asked, prying for information about their date. Bucky smirked at her.

“Nope. Just wear something nice, but warm. We’re going outside.”

“Outside,” Lo echoed, looking doubtfully at the clothes in front of her. That could mean anything. 

Bucky hummed, looking proud of himself.

Lo huffed and grabbed the coat she was admiring. Bucky reached out an arm to take it.

“You sure?” she asked.

He was offering to carry her clothes. She wasn’t sure he knew just what he was getting himself into.

Bucky’s hand remained outstretched. Lo shrugged, handing him the coat.

She led him deeper into the store, picking out various items to try on.

Lo was surprised by how much she found. Usually, she struggled to find things she liked. But already she had picked up 4 dresses and 3 coats that she thought would be suitable for their date.

She even spotted a pair of boots, grabbing one in her size before deciding to head to the changing rooms. 

Lo looked over her shoulder at Bucky and had to stifle a laugh.

Both of his arms were filled with clothes, almost up to his neck.

She almost felt bad, but something about seeing him like that- carrying her shopping. There was something so normal and domestic about it. It made her want to laugh.

“What?” Bucky asked, reading the amusement on her face. His voice was surprisingly even, despite the load he was carrying. Lo realised the weight was probably nothing to him- not with his super soldier strength.

“Nothing,” she grinned. “I’m gonna go try everything on, that okay?”

Bucky nodded, and then he seemed to register what she had said. His eyes lit up.

“Need some help?” he asked mischievously. Lo rolled her eyes at him.

“Not the kind of help _you’re_ talking about,” she giggled. Although, even just the thought of it, combined with that look in Bucky’s eyes, was enough to make her feel a little hot under the collar.

Lo ignored it, heading towards the changing rooms with Bucky hot on her heels.

~~~~

The changing rooms were empty when they arrived, which Lo was grateful for. She chose a stall at random, Bucky handing her items over the door whenever she asked.

The first few dresses were pretty, but not exactly date worthy. The last one was the nicest.

It was plain black with long sleeves, reaching about mid thigh. She paired it with a tan coat that she had also picked out, along with the boots.

It was cute, and most importantly, she’d be warm.

Lo opened to the door to show Bucky. 

He was standing next to her stall, looking a little bewildered by all the clothes in his arms. But his attention went straight to her when she opened the door.

Bucky’s brows shot up, his mouth opening a little.

“Will this be okay for tonight?” she asked.

He seemed to stutter a little, stumbling over his words. Eventually he just nodded.

“Perfect, that’s perfect, Doll.”

Lo grinned, stepping back into the changing room and putting on her original outfit.

She decided to buy the other dresses as well. Lo could afford to, anyway, now that she was back on a Stark paycheck.

Bucky took all of the outfits from her hands, carrying them to the counter for her. She smiled at him gratefully.

He could be a little shit when he wanted to, but also such a gentleman at times.

Lo grabbed her card to pay for the items, but by the time she looked up, Bucky had already swiped his card. The woman at the counter was placing everything into bags. 

Lo looked at him in shock.

“You didn’t have to do that,” she said, her card feeling heavy in her hand.

“I wanted to,” Bucky simply replied, smiling softly at her.

Lo shook her head. 

“Buck-”

“Please, Doll,” he interrupted. “Let me spoil my best girl, will you?”

Lo looked at him, her protests dying away.

He held her gaze.

The woman finished bagging Lo’s items, looking at her and Bucky in amusement.

Lo sighed, shaking her head, and Bucky grinned.

“No more,” she said, looking at him seriously. “I can look after myself. You don’t have to pay for me.”

“Mmhmm,” Bucky hummed non-committedly. “Come on, we’ve still got time. Want to look at a few more shops?”

He was changing the subject, Lo knew, but she let him get away with it.

“Sure, okay.”

Bucky grabbed her bags, holding her hand with his free arm, and led her out of the store.

Steve was still sitting at the same bench, Natasha now by his side. He nodded at Bucky as they left the store. Nat eyed the bags in Bucky’s arm in amusement.

Bucky turned to Lo, ignoring Nat’s look. 

“Lead the way, Doll.”

~~~~ 

Lo took Bucky to a few more stores, picking up a few things at each. Thankfully, Bucky let her pay those times, but she could see the protest in his eyes. She couldn’t figure out why- whether it was a 40’s thing, or just a Bucky thing, but he seemed to genuinely enjoy buying her things. 

She tried to ask him about it, but he kept his answers vague. 

“I want to,” he’d say. “I can afford to. Let me.”

Nevermind that Lo could afford to as well. 

The mall was starting to get busier, more and more people coming in. Lo read the look Steve sent Bucky. They’d have time for probably one more shop, before it got too overcrowded.

Lo led Bucky into one final store, another name she didn’t recognise, and began browsing.

The lady working there must have spotted them walk in, though Lo did her best not to draw too much attention, and walked right up to them.

“Hi! I'm Amanda, can I help you with anything?”

The lady looked to be around her mid 30’s, her hair pulled back into a painful looking bun. 

Her smile was forced and her voice strained. She looked Lo up and down pointedly. Lo immediately didn’t like her.

“No, thank you,” Lo said, trying to politely brush her off.

“Are you sure?” the lady- Amanda- pushed. 

“She said ‘no thank you’,” Bucky grunted.

Amanda looked at him in surprise, as if only just noticing his presence.

Her smile turned sultry, and Lo immediately straightened.

“How about you, Sir?” the lady purred, giving Bucky a very different once over to the one she’d given Lo.

“We’re fine,” Lo growled, trying to get Amanda to take a hint.

“Right,” she said, looking back at Lo in disdain. Although her gaze kept flicking back to Bucky appreciatively. “It’s just, well, you see-”

Her tone turned condescending. Lo's jaw clenched.

She had heard that kind of voice before, many times. From guys she worked with who assumed Lo was nothing more than a personal assistant, not a doctor.

It was the kind of voice people used to belittle her. As a woman in a male dominated field, Lo was used to hearing it. But she refused to let Amanda get away with it.

“-our store is very, um, _high market_. I’m not sure it’s in your price range, Miss…?”

Amanda was asking for her name. Lo was too pissed to give it to her.

“It’s _Dr_ , actually.”

Amanda blinked in surprise, and then paled a little. Lo continued.

“And I think you would have found that this store is well within our price range-”

“Oh i’m so sorry, Miss-”

Amanda rushed to apologise, but still called Lo by the wrong title. Normally, Lo wouldn’t care. But this lady- Amanda- had pissed her off. 

Lo hated people who acted like they were better than others.

“Oh, save it,” she quipped, turning and walking out the door.

She caught a flash of the price tag on one of the mannequins as she left. $300 for a jacket.

_Wow, the lady had acted like they were worth thousands._

Lo kept walking, not even sure if Bucky was following her.

Nat was waiting for them outside the store, while Steve was nowhere to be seen.

Lo’s frustration must have been evident on her face, because Nat raised a perfect brow at her.

“What is it?” Natasha asked. Lo huffed.

“The shop owner was a pretentious-” Lo started swearing in Russian, calling Amanda all kinds of rude names. “She took one look at me and thought I was too poor for the store.”

Nat’s eyes hardened and her shoulders squared. She looked prepared to march into the store herself, when her eyes met something over Lo’s shoulders. Or, rather, someone.

Lo turned, her gaze snapping to Bucky. He was still carrying her bags gently, but his face was hard and emotionless.

“What did you do?” Nat asked suspiciously.

“Nothing,” Bucky grumbled, not meeting either of their gazes.

“Barnes,” Nat warned. 

Bucky sighed. 

“Nothing. I just reminded the lady to watch how she speaks.”

“You threatened her, didn’t you?” Natasha said, crossing her arms.

“We should leave,” Bucky ignored, walking over to grab Lo’s hand.

Bucky was tense, his face still tight in that scowl Lo had mocked him for earlier.

She was almost afraid to know what Bucky had said to the shop owner, given the look on his face.

Nat led them out of the mall and to the car.

“Are you alright?” Lo asked.

“Yeah, Doll. Just mad I guess.”

“What did you say to her?”

“I told her to be careful how she talks to people.”

There was more, Lo could tell, but she didn’t push.

“I’m sorry for what she said to you,” Bucky said, quieter.

“Don’t be. It’s not your fault,” Lo said, shaking her head.

“I hate people like that. Who judge without knowin’ anything. They think they’re better than everyone else.”

“Me too,” Lo squeezed his hand. “Thank you, for defending me. Even though you didn’t have to.”

Bucky’s eyes softened a little when he looked back at her. 

“You don’t deserve to be treated like that. What kind of date would I be if I didn’t defend you?”

Lo was reminded of their first date.

Those were the same words she’d said when Tony was trying to make Bucky apologise to Peter. Lo had stood up for him.

She could tell Bucky was thinking of the same thing.

“You’d still be the best date a girl could ask for,” she said, lifting their interlocked hands to place a firm kiss on the back of his palm. 

Bucky smiled at her, his face softening.

Steve was waiting for them in the car. Nat must have explained the situation to him because his eyes hardened.

“You’re not coming back with us?” Lo asked Natasha, who turned to walk away.

“I brought my own ride,” Nat smirked, gesturing to a shiny motorcycle nearby.

“Right,” Lo smiled.

“Meet you back at the compound,” Nat said, walking towards her bike.

Bucky approached the passenger door, gesturing for Lo to get in first.

Lo did, settling into the back seat.

“Successful trip?” Steve asked, eyeing the many bags in Bucky’s arm.

“Yes sir,” Lo chuckled. “Even though Bucky still won’t tell me where we’re going.”

Steve held up a hand in defence. 

“Don’t blame me. He hasn’t told me anything either.”

Lo groaned, much to Bucky’s amusement.

“I hate surprises,” she said.

“I know, Doll. We can tell.”

Lo glared at him from the back seat, while Bucky only laughed.

~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave all your thoughts/comments/feelings in the comments below!


	17. Date Night, Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally- the date I have been thinking about since Chapter 7! I was planning to make this all one chapter, but it got so long that I had to split it into two. I hope you guys enjoy!
> 
> Also, for anyone wondering, this is the outfit Lo is wearing for the date:  
> (https://www.pinterest.nz/pin/329325791500930041/)

It didn’t take long before they were back at the compound. Probably due to Steve’s driving. Lo still wasn’t convinced he even had a license.

Bucky helped her out of the car, offering his arm for her, while his other was still holding her bags.

Lo thanked him, to which Bucky smiled, and the three of them walked back to the main building of the Avengers compound.

Steve stopped off in the conference room, saying something about needing to catch up with Sam, so Lo and Bucky walked back to their room alone.

Bucky’s hair had come loose from its bun on the ride home, so he’d taken it down. The long dark locks fell softly around his face, curling just on his shoulders.

“You’re staring,” Bucky grinned.

Lo blushed but rolled her eyes. 

“You make it hard not to.”

He turned to look at her, eyes filled with mischief.

“I am pretty handsome, aren’t I?”

Lo’s mouth dropped open in shock and she shoved him. Bucky laughed.

Lo unlocked their door when they arrived, the handle lighting up under her touch and turning with a soft click.

Bucky followed her to her room, dropping the bags gently on her bed.

“Thanks for carrying them,” Lo smiled.

Bucky shrugged. 

“No problem, Doll.”

His eyes shot to the clock on the wall. It was after 3pm now.

“Listen, i’ve gotta go get some stuff ready. I’ll be back to pick you up around 6?”

“Pick me up?” Lo asked, brows raised. _Bucky was leaving?_

“Yeah, Doll,” he grinned. “ _I’m_ driving us this time.”

“Oh,” Lo said in surprise. “Um, okay. Can I ask what we’re doing yet?”

Bucky only smirked, though Lo saw a hint of nervousness in his eyes.

“I’ll be back at 6,” he called, leaving the room.

The door shut softly behind him, and Lo’s datapad lit up with an incoming call.

~~~~

“Shuri!” Lo exclaimed, after checking who was calling.

Lo couldn't keep the excitement from her face. She really missed seeing her best friend everyday.

Shuri's face lit up on the screen. It looked like she was sitting in her room in Wakanda.

“Hi, Lo,” Shuri grinned. “How are you feeling?”

Shuri wagged her eyebrows suggestively. Lo rolled her eyes. She knew why Shuri was acting like that. It had everything to do with her message last night- telling Lo and Bucky to "use protection". 

“I’m fine, you idiot," Lo chuckled. "And you can take that look off your face.”

“What look?” Shuri said, still wiggling her eyebrows.

“That look!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Shuri grinned. 

“Uh huh, sure you don’t.”

“So…” Shuri hinted. “How was your date last night?”

Lo breathed a laugh.

“Amazing,” she admitted.

“And afterwards?”

Lo shot her a look.

“We didn’t do anything.”

“Ugh- BORING.”

“Shuri!” Lo laughed. 

“Come onnn, Lo. I’m surprised it’s taken you this long already.”

Lo rolled her eyes. 

“We’re going on another date tonight. I was...thinking about maybe doing something then,” Lo admitted.

Shuri started squealing and cheering from the other end of the call, and Lo felt her face heat up.

“Finally!” Shuri said.

“Why are you so invested anyway?!” Lo asked.

“Because! I haven’t seen you this into a guy since...wow, ever. I’m excited for you! And, also, well, me and Steve kind of made another bet.”

“YOU WHAT?!”

“We made a bet,” Shuri said, looking sheepish, but not remorseful.

Lo face palmed.

“What bet?”

“I can’t tell you! Then you’ll make me lose on purpose!”

“Stop betting on my relationship!”

“But it’s fun,” Shuri pouted, then her face lit up again. “Have you given him his present? The one you needed the vibranium for?”

“Not yet,” Lo said, letting her change the subject. “I’m waiting for the right moment.”

Shuri looked at her, her gaze assessing.

“Tell me when you do, I want to know how he reacts.”

“I will,” Lo smiled. She looked at the clock. “He’s taking me somewhere tonight, but I don't know where.”

“A surprise! How exciting!”

“I know. We’re going 'outside', and that's as much as I know.”

“Outside?” Shuri asked, raising a brow.

“Yup.”

“Hmm,” Shuri hummed, thinking. 

“When are you coming to visit?”

“Soon, hopefully. Things at home have gotten busy, but I should be free this weekend. Why? Do you miss me?” Shuri grinned. Lo rolled her eyes.

“Obviously. I miss testing weapons with you. Tony won't let me blow anything up here,” Lo rolled her eyes sarcastically. Shuri laughed, but then her gaze turned assessing.

“Things at the compound are really that bad?” she asked.

“No, no, they're great. Pepper gave me the day off, so I went with Bucky and Natasha to train. She taught me some things.”

“Natasha?” Shuri asked, looking worried. "The Black Widow is training you?"

“Yeah, kind of. She offered to teach me some self defense- just incase something happens, you know?”

“Yeah, I get you. I’m worried that she thinks you’ll need the lessons, but it’s better to be safe than sorry, I guess.”

“Exactly,” Lo agreed.

“Is she scary?”

“Terrifying. I’m convinced she’ll kill me if I ever show up late.”

“She’d know how to make it look like an accident, too,” Shuri nodded. Lo looked at her friend incredulously.

“What?”

“Nothing,” Lo shook her head, laughing to herself. “It’s getting late, I should start getting ready.”

“Good luck on your date,” Shuri winked suggestively.

Lo rolled her eyes with a smile, ending the call and rushing to the bathroom to get ready.

~~~~

She put on the outfit she bought at the mall, the tan coat warm and soft on her skin. Lo grabbed a matching black bag, stuffing any necessities inside. 

She had even done a full face of makeup, digging out her eyeshadow palettes and trying to make herself look as nice as possible.

It was 5:30 by the time she was done. Lo sat at the kitchen counter, tapping her foot on the bottom of the stool she was sitting on.

She couldn’t explain why, but she was suddenly feeling nervous. 

Maybe it was because she had no idea where they were going. Or because Bucky had left 3 hours earlier, and she was worried, trying to figure out what could possibly take three hours of preparation. 

Maybe it was because they had been talking about this date for weeks now. There was pressure riding on tonight, and Lo was starting to feel it.

 _It’s Bucky_. She reminded herself. She had nothing to worry about. Not with him.

Not when he was so kind and thoughtful and careful with her. Even if he was a secret dork, who loved food and threw knives for fun. 

He was _Bucky_. He wouldn’t make her do anything she wasn’t comfortable with.

Hell, maybe that’s why she was so nervous.

She cared about him. So much. She wanted this night to be perfect, for the both of them. And she wanted him. In every way.

Lo played on her phone to pass the time, her foot still tapping nervously.

It was 5:55 when the door to their apartment unlocked with a soft click, and Bucky’s hulking frame emerged.

Lo felt her breath hitch.

He must have gotten changed at some point, because his usual dark get up was gone, and replaced with a navy jacket and black jeans. His hair was styled, still loose on his shoulders. He looked damn near breathtaking.

Bucky smiled at her, looking a little breathless himself. His eyes roamed her figure from head to toe.

“Well damn, Doll,” he chuckled nervously. “You look gorgeous.”

“Thanks, Soldier. You look pretty amazing yourself.”

Her eyes traced his figure once more. It was then that she noticed the flowers in his hand. A bouquet of pink lilies- her favourite.

“For you,” he said, extending a hand dutifully.

“How did you know?” Lo breathed, taking the flowers. She smelled the brightest one, still fresh, like it had only just bloomed.

“Shuri,” Bucky admitted. “She told me you liked lilies.”

Lo laughed, shaking her head.

“I’ve never been given flowers on a date before. Thank you,” she walked over, pulling him into a tight hug.

Bucky squeezed her gently before releasing, his cheeks tinged pinker than the flowers. He looked nervous. More nervous than Lo had ever seen him.

It made her feel a little better, knowing she wasn’t the only one with nerves.

She quickly shot to the kitchen, putting the flowers in a large jar (their kitchen may have been stocked with food, but there were no spare vases in sight), before returning to Bucky’s side.

He was waiting for her, his arm extended.

“Do I get to know where we’re going yet?” Lo smiled, taking his arm and letting Bucky lead them out the door.

“Nope,” he chuckled. “But, well, I’m gonna be honest with you, Doll. It’s been a long time since i’ve done something like this, so I hope you like it.”

“I’m sure it’ll be perfect,” she said, reaching up to plant a kiss on his cheek. He squeezed her hand gratefully.

Bucky led her out the main doors of the building and towards the garage. They didn’t pass anyone as they left, which Lo thought was surprising. Usually she saw at least one member of the team walking around. She wondered if their absence had anything to do with Bucky.

He led her into the garage, pausing to open the door for her first. Lo smiled at him as she stepped through.

“Which one of Tony’s beasts are we taking?” Lo giggled. Bucky stepped next to her.

“Whichever one you want.”

“Really?” Lo asked, turning to look around the garage in surprise. All of Tony’s best cars were in here. He never let anyone drive those.

“Really. I talked to Pepper. She said to let you choose whatever one you wanted.”

Lo let out a laugh in surprise. Yet another thing she’d have to thank Pepper for.

She looked at each of the cars, admiring them all. Tony sure did have nice taste, even if it was a little over the top sometimes.

Her eyes caught on a dark grey Camaro. She lifted her brows in surprise. That must belong to someone else. Tony didn’t usually like muscle cars. 

“Was that there earlier?” Lo asked, pointing to the shiny grey Camaro.

“Don’t think so. Pepper must have brought it in for us.”

Bucky grabbed a set of keys from a nearby safe, approaching the car. He let out a low whistle, then looked over his shoulder at Lo.

“I think we have the same taste in cars.”

Lo grinned, approaching his side.

There was a note attached to the wiper. Lo pulled it out and read aloud:

_‘I thought you might like this one. You said your dad had one just like it._

_Have fun tonight ;)_

_-Pepper.’_

“She remembered,” Lo said, after finishing the note.

Bucky looked at her in confusion.

“My dad had an old 1969 Camaro as a project car. I was telling Pepper about it one time. She must have gone out and bought one.”

“It’s a nice car,” Bucky nodded. “Your dad still have it?”

Lo shook her head. “He had to sell it a few years ago. Mum lost her job, and I was still in school at the time. We needed the money.”

Bucky nodded his head in understanding. 

Lo placed the note in her bag, adding it to the list of things she now had to thank Pepper for.

Bucky walked around to her side, opening the passenger door for her. Lo smiled at him gratefully.

He shut it after she sat down, walking back to his own side and getting into the car.

Bucky put the key in the ignition. The car purred to life.

He put it into gear, leaving the garage and taking the road away from the compound. Bucky placed his hand on her knee, squeezing gently.

~~~~

They drove for a few minutes in silence. Lo still had no idea where they were going, and Bucky didn’t seem inclined to give her any answers, but she could tell they were going in the opposite direction to the city.

The sky was starting to turn a pretty mix of orange and purple, the sun dipping lower on the horizon. The road was surrounded by trees, all signs of civilization beginning to fade away.

Tony, or Shield maybe, must have bought out this whole area. There were no signs of people or anything, just vast trees and fields. Lo didn’t even know this area existed.

Her knee bobbed gently under Bucky’s hand, and he turned to smile at her reassuringly.

“Almost there,” Bucky said.

Sure enough, around 10 minutes later, the car turned off the street.

Bucky pulled onto a dirt road, the entrance hidden by all the trees.

“Where are we?” Lo mused aloud.

Bucky smiled at her. “Steve brought me here when I first moved in. He used to go running out here, when things at the compound got too busy.”

Lo looked out the passenger window, her mouth open in surprise. She couldn’t see much, only rows and rows of trees, but something about it felt...calm, peaceful even.

Bucky drove a little further, the sun dipping under the tall trees, casting a shadow over the woods. But the sky was still a bright orange with smouldering pinks.

Bucky inhaled, his breath a little shaky, and the car pulled to the side.

“We gotta walk a little, Doll. I hope you don’t mind?”

Lo turned to look at him. He reached a hand through his hair, tucking one side behind his ear.

“Course not,” she smiled. He nodded, as if reassuring himself, and opened the door to climb out of the car. 

Lo was about to open her own door, but he beat her to it.

“Such a gentleman,” she said, rolling her eyes playfully. Bucky bowed dramatically.

He reached out an arm, which she took, and led her down a path only he could see.

Lo scanned the nearby trees curiously. Bucky opened his mouth to speak again.

“Shield owns the whole area. Dunno why, but it means we get the whole place to ourselves. Nobody else even knows it exists.”

“Really?” Lo asked in surprise. She suspected as much, but still, the knowledge that Shield owned all these woods...it peaked her interest. Why buy acres and acres of land without a reason?

“Really,” Bucky nodded in confirmation. “Steve checked, and there doesn’t seem to be anything here. No buildings or nothin’, as far as we can tell.”

“Maybe they’re planning to use it in the future?”

“Maybe,” Bucky nodded. “They’ve had these grounds for years though. Makes you wonder what they’re waiting for, right?”

“It’s definitely strange,” Lo said, her brows furrowing. Bucky shrugged.

“Well, until they decide what they want to do with the place, it’s all ours.”

He grabbed her waist, lifting her over a fallen tree, and guided her deeper into the woods. 

She was glad she’d decided to wear boots, and not a pair of heels. Trying to navigate these woods in stilettos would be a nightmare.

They walked for a few more moments, Bucky helping Lo through any twists and broken trees, before they reached a clearance.

Lo gasped, dropping Bucky’s hand to cover her mouth.

There, right in front of her, was possibly the most beautiful sight Lo had ever seen. Even better than the sunsets in Wakanda.

The trees had opened up onto a rocky shore. And right in the centre of the clearance was a lake, shining and shimmering in purples and oranges, reflecting the skies above it. But that wasn’t all.

There were blankets on the ground, and huge pillows. There were little lanterns placed around strategically, to maximise the light using the limited lanterns. There was even a basket, of what Lo couldn't tell, but even from here it smelled sweet and warm. 

Furthermore, there were lilies. Bunches and bunches of lilies littering the blankets.

Lo turned to Bucky, her hands moving to her neck. She thought she might be shaking.

“You did all this.”

It wasn’t a question, more of a statement, but Bucky nodded regardless. His eyes were searching, nervous, as he watched for her reaction.

Lo looked back to the picnic, and the stones and lake beyond. The lilies that littered the ground. The lanterns. The trees. All of it.

“It’s beautiful,” she sobbed, running towards him.

“Oof-” Bucky grunted, as Lo threw herself into his arms. 

She hugged him tight, her arms snaking around his neck. He returned the hug, tightening his hold on her waist.

Bucky seemed to sigh a breath of relief.

“I’m glad you like it,” he whispered into her hair.

“Like it? _Like it?_ I love it!” Lo said, twisting in his arms to look once again at the date Bucky had prepared.

She could see he had worked so hard on this, on her. It made her heart swell- her eyes burn with unshed tears.

“I wanted to do something special. For you.”

Bucky set her back on her feet, grabbing her hand instead, guiding her towards the blankets sprawled on the ground.

He sat down, pulling her down next to him. She landed on a pile of soft, mismatched pillows and throws.

“You outdid yourself,” she smiled. “I had no idea what to expect for tonight, but it certainly wasn’t this. Thank you.”

She leaned over to kiss his cheek. Bucky’s face blushed slightly.

“Here,” he said, handing her the basket from the centre.

Lo took it, opening the lid. 

It was filled with food. Everything from bread and spreads, to wine, fruits and chocolate. She took each item out, spreading them onto the blanket.

Bucky reached for a strawberry straight away, popping the fruit into his mouth before she had even finished unpacking the basket. Lo chuckled at him.

He grabbed another, plucking the stem and offering it to her. 

Lo leaned forward, taking the fruit from his fingers. Her lips grazed his first knuckle, and his eyes darkened. She felt her breath hitch.

Bucky’s eyes went to her mouth as she chewed and swallowed the fruit. His gaze lingering on her exposed throat. 

Lo leaned back, her face feeling hot.

She turned back to the lake, and the stones all around it. The line where the grass met the rocks. The trees surrounding them.

“This place is beautiful,” she said.

“It is,” Bucky echoed. 

The sun had fully dipped below the trees, and as each minute passed, the sky changed from a bright orange to a warm lilac. The stars would be out soon.

Every colour was reflected on the lake in front of them. The water was so still, so smooth- like glass. Like a mirror.

“Maybe Shield doesn't have any plans for this place,” Lo mused aloud, as Bucky grabbed another strawberry, “Maybe the reason they bought it was for this-” she nodded to the lake, “-to look after it. Make sure no one else found it and destroyed it.”

Bucky turned to look at her, his eyes soft and warm as they traced her features. 

“You think so?” he asked. Lo shrugged.

“I know that’s what i’d do. Keep this place a secret, protected.”

He smiled. 

“The world needs more people like you, Lolita Haynes.”

Lo quirked a brow. That was the first time he’d ever called her by her full name. Bucky elaborated.

“Dreamers. Protectors. The ones who find a place like this and don’t want to take advantage of it- but take care of it. The world needs more people like you, who don’t do anything out of personal gain.”

His eyes got that faraway look- like he was reliving a painful memory. Of Hydra. Of the war. Of anything.

“The world needs more people like _you_ , Bucky Barnes,” she countered. “The real protectors. The fighters. The ones willing to do anything for the people they care about.”

His eyes met hers again, and they seemed to focus a little more. He shook his head, reaching for the bottle of wine she’d pulled out, along with a couple of glasses. He poured one for her, and then one for himself.

“The world doesn’t need anymore people like me,” he chuckled sadly.

Bucky moved to offer her a glass, but she brushed him off.

“Bucky- you are the most selfless person I have ever met. You have been through so much, more than I can even imagine, and yet you are still kind. And thoughtful, and caring. You drove out into the middle of the woods to make a picnic for me. You stormed into a store and told off that shop owner for being rude to me. You dance with me, and sing for me, and-”

 _And I love you_ , Lo realised.

The realisation hit her like a punch in the gut. 

Bucky’s blue eyes were wide, and she realised in surprise, bright with unshed tears.

“Doll-” he said, voice breaking.

His mouth opened and closed, fighting to find the words, before he eventually gave up and just pulled her into his lap.

Bucky pressed a strong, unforgiving kiss to her lips. Lo gasped at the desperation she felt from him.

He pulled back, resting his forehead against hers. His blue eyes poured into her dark ones.

“You are the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

He said it with so much honesty- so much sincerity- her heart stopped. He meant it. Every word.

Lo lifted her hands, resting them on either side of his face, and kissed him again. 

She poured every emotion into that kiss. Every feeling. Every thought. Every unspoken word.

 _I love you_ , she told him in her mind. _IloveyouIloveyouIloveyou._

Bucky seemed to understand, because he kissed her back just as fiercely. 

Lo tugged her hands through his hair, wanting him impossibly closer.

“I’m so glad I found you,” she whispered, pulling away for a moment. Bucky’s shining eyes met hers.

“You’ve got me, Doll. Always.”

“Always?”

Bucky reached around, grabbing the glasses of wine he had previously poured. He handed one to Lo.

Bucky clinked his glass with hers, never once taking his eyes off her.

“Always,” he confirmed. 

And she felt it. His promise. Deep in her bones. 

She believed him.

Lo grinned, blinking away any tears, and brought the glass to her lips.

~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh to go on a lakeside picnic with Bucky.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Let me know what you thought in the comments below-
> 
> Next weeks update is going to earn that M rating. Maybe even an E rating, i haven't decided yet. So prepare yourself- things are heating up ;)


	18. Date Night, Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *WARNING*
> 
> This chapter contains some explicit content. If thats not for you, then I recommend just skipping this chapter and going straight to the next one.
> 
> Hugs and kisses,
> 
> Artemis

The rest of their date was a lot less emotional.

Bucky fed her strawberries and sandwiches and chocolate, his eyes darkening every time she deliberately sucked on his fingers. Which Lo made a point to do, and often.

He told her stories about his life, before Hydra and after it. And she told him everything about hers, until they knew everything about each other. Every secret, every story, every insignificant little detail. 

He made her laugh, once so hard that wine almost came out her nose, which sent Bucky howling with laughter. She’d be more embarrassed if she wasn’t so entranced by the sound of his laugh, and so smug that she’d been the cause of it. Even if he was laughing _at_ her rather than _with_ her.

Bucky teased her, and flirted with her, until the sun was long gone and the moon was out- the stars glimmering on the surface of the lake.

It was beautiful. Easily the best date she had ever been on, and it hadn't even finished yet.

Lo turned, looking over at Bucky.

He was stretched out on the blanket beside her, his hands tucked under his head. The top button of his shirt had come undone, letting the light of the moon shine down on his toned chest.

“You’re staring, Sunshine,” Bucky smirked, as Lo looked at him from head to toe. She grinned and turned her attention back to the lake.

Maybe it was the wine, or maybe it was just her, but an idea struck.

“Come for a swim with me,” Lo said, turning to look back at him, gauging his reaction. Bucky paused.

“Right now?” he asked, quirking a brow. 

Lo nodded.

“We have no spare clothes. Or towels.”

“Guess you’ll have to go nude, then,” the comment slipped out before she even realised what she was saying.

Bucky’s gaze turned predatory. She shivered.

“Unless you’re too scared,” Lo taunted. 

It was probably a bad idea. Bucky was right, they had no spare clothes, or towels, and the water was probably freezing but oh- to hell with it. 

Bucky’s eyes darkened.

“Is that a challenge, sweetheart?” he asked.

She nodded. Bucky smirked.

He leapt up from the blanket, standing in front of her. Lo felt her heart race. 

Bucky began unbuttoning the rest of his shirt, kicking off his shoes at the same time. 

He pulled off the dark blue button up, his undershirt with it (and all the weapons currently attached to the upper half of his body), until he was standing before her in just his pants and socks.

“Are you coming?” he grinned. 

Lo took too long to reply, she was busy staring at his abs, so Bucky leaned down and pulled her up so that she was now standing on her feet.

“Unless _you’re_ too scared,” he smirked.

Lo glared at him, pulling off her coat. 

She was _not_ scared, this was her idea, after all-

Bucky’s smirk only widened into a full blown grin.

The cool evening air hit her arms and she shivered. It wasn’t freezing, but it certainly wasn’t warm either.

Bucky moved, taking off his pants while she struggled with her boots.

She managed to get one off, and then the other, and was just about to start on the dress when Bucky’s hands came over hers. 

“I’ll help,” he said. Lo rolled her eyes. She knew he was doing it for his own sake, more than hers.

Bucky reached around, pulling down the zipper of her dress and letting it fall to the floor.

His brows shot up.

Lo grinned.

She forgot she was wearing black lace underwear. 

Bucky’s eyes roamed her figure, unable to stay fixed on one spot for too long. Although he did linger at the lacy parts a bit longer than everywhere else.

His hands seemed to be glued to her shoulders, the warmth of them seeping into her.

Lo stepped back. Bucky followed, his hands dropping to his sides.

She stepped back again. And again. Until her feet hit the edge where grass met stones and she spun, sprinting towards the water.

Bucky chased, gaining on her until his arms wrapped around her waist and he lifted her up into the air, carrying her towards the water.

Lo squealed, latching onto him, as he ran past the stones and into the cold lake.

She squeezed her eyes shut and Bucky let out a bellowing laugh, before they both jumped into the water.

Lo resurfaced in his arms, gasping at the cold. Bucky was still laughing when he came back up.

He shook his hair like a dog, sending water droplets everywhere, while Lo yelped and tried to shield herself. She brushed her hair back from her face, her eyes finding his.

Bucky’s blue eyes were bright with laughter. He was grinning, one of those special, sacred smiles of his- with crinkly eyes and lots of teeth. Lo couldn’t help but grin back.

She gasped suddenly.

“My makeup!”

Bucky tipped his head back and laughed. 

“You still look pretty. Even if you now look like a panda.”

Lo smacked him on the chest. Bucky only laughed again, pulling her closer.

“I’m only kidding, Doll.”

“Mmhmm, sure you are, Soldier.”

She reached up, brushing his hair from his face. 

The water was warm, now that her body was used to it. The surface rippled and swirled, reflecting all the stars from above. 

Bucky’s broad chest was rising and falling quickly against her own. His strong arms wrapped around her, the metal one glinting under the moonlight.

His lips were pink and full, his cheeks flushed slightly. His pupils were blown.

Bucky lifted a hand under her chin, turning her face towards him.

He leaned in, slowly, as if still giving her the chance to pull away. As if she would ever pull away.

But Lo knew that she could. She knew all it would take is one word, one hesitation, and Bucky would back off immediately. 

But she didn’t want him to back off. Not tonight. Tonight she wanted everything- all of him. All that she could get.

Lo tipped her head up, meeting his lips in a deep kiss. 

Bucky’s hands reached up to tangle in her hair, holding her in place. Lo’s arms went to his chest, chasing the stray droplets of water there.

His tongue darted out to trace the seam of her lips and she complied, opening up to him. He tasted every inch of her- exploring, memorising, while she did the same.

His arms moved from her hair and trailed down, down, past her back until he grasped her ass.

Bucky squeezed, and then lifted. Lo immediately wrapped her legs around his waist, feeling how eager he was against her.

Her hands reached up to tug on his hair, right at the roots, where she knew it would make him-

Bucky groaned.

His mouth moved from her lips, trailing fiery hot kisses along her jaw and down her neck. Lo moved, giving him better access, as Bucky sucked on the column of her throat.

She gasped, moving again, which caused her to brush against him and then Bucky was moaning again.

“If you wanna stop, Doll, you gotta tell me now, or else I-”

“Don’t stop,” Lo said, shaking her head fervently.

Bucky ignored her, pausing his trail of kisses. Lo opened her eyes reluctantly, finding his blue ones.

“You sure?” he asked. 

There was no judgement in his eyes. No pressure. Just concern and honesty.

“I want you,” Lo breathed, tightening her legs around his waist. 

Bucky watched her for a second longer, looking for any hint of regret, before his lips came crashing back to hers.

Lo moaned into his kiss, tangling her hands in his long hair.

She sensed they were moving, or atleast, Bucky was moving, and taking her with him.

He walked towards the shore, his arms tightening underneath her.

Lo continued kissing him, barely pulling apart for breath. 

The crisp air hit her skin, and Bucky kept moving, marching them towards the picnic blanket- scattered with their abandoned clothes.

He dropped her onto the blanket. Gently, softly, as if afraid he might break her.

Lo leaned back, her head hitting one of the soft pillows. She was completely exposed to him, save for her now drenched bra and panties.

Bucky kneeled between her legs. His eyes roamed her figure thoroughly.

“You’re beautiful,” he said, voice filled with awe.

Lo thought the exact same thing about him.

His metal arm was still shining under the moonlight. His blue eyes bright and clear. His dark hair dripping droplets of water on his skin.

She reached out her hands, needing him close again.

Bucky obliged, leaning over her so that his arms were on either side of her head, caging her in.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a kiss, while her legs tangled around his waist.

He groaned into her mouth, moving his hips against hers. She met every movement, feeling his hard length between her thighs.

Her hands trailed down his back, scraping her nails across his smooth skin. Bucky’s mouth moved to her neck, planting wet hot kisses down to her collarbone.

He nipped and sucked at each side of her throat, no doubt leaving bruises along her neck, but she couldn’t find it in herself to care. 

She lifted her hips, grinding against him again, and Bucky grunted. 

His blue eyes flicked up to hers as his tongue darted along her chest. The sight of him, nearly naked with his head between her breasts, was almost enough to make her come then and there.

Bucky’s flesh arm moved, reaching under her to unhook her bra. His eyes still searched her, looking for any sign of hesitation. She only shifted so that he could get better access.

Her bra unhooked with a snap, the black lace falling away. Her nipples hardened immediately against the cool night air.

Bucky looked down, taking her all in. Lo felt her face heat up.

“Beautiful,” he mumbled, tracing blazing hot kisses over every piece of exposed skin.

His tongue darted out again, before he caught one breast between his lips. Lo gasped, writhing underneath him.

She needed him. Desperately. And _now._

Lo put a hand to his chest, pushing until he rolled onto his back, with her straddling his waist. The only thing between them now was a few scraps of fabric.

Lo leaned down, kissing him firmly on the lips, while her hands traced each of his defined muscles. Bucky’s hands went to her hips, his chest rising and falling quickly.

She moved, planting wet, deliberate kisses over his neck, then his chest, then his abs- working her way down to the trail of hair on his navel.

Bucky groaned, his bright blue eyes watching her in a mixture of awe and hunger. 

Her hands went to the waistband of his underwear, pulling down and down and down. Slowly, until his hard length finally sprung free.

 _Oh shit_ , Lo thought, her mind muddled with lust. Apparently the soldier serum made _everything_ bigger. 

She moved her hand, gripping the base of him, and stroked gently, watching his reactions. 

Bucky’s eyes screwed shut and he panted, torn between where to put his hands.

Lo leaned forward, capturing the head of him in her mouth. Bucky swore, his hands eventually settling in her hair.

She traced lazy circles around the tip, stroking in time with each swipe of her tongue. She took more of him into her mouth, feeling each inch of him, taking him as deep as she could.

Bucky threw his head back, cursing louder.

“Shit, Shit- wait-”

Lo paused, hollowing her cheeks as she released him from her mouth. 

Bucky put a hand under her waist, flipping them again so that he was on top. Lo grinned. Her mind filling with filthy images of all the things they could do with his strength.

His mouth came crashing onto hers again. If he could taste himself, he didn’t seem to care, his tongue exploring her mouth like he owned it.

His hand went roaming, drifting between them, lingering on her breasts before moving down, down, down to her panties.

Bucky hooked a finger under the black lace, pulling so hard it snapped in his hand. Lo gasped, looking down at her destroyed underwear.

Bucky mumbled a quick “Sorry,”- sounding not at all sorry- and dipped his hand between her legs, his mouth against her neck.

Bucky’s fingers slid between her, caressing her entrance, and Lo moaned. The sound was filthy- her groans tangling with the slick, wet sounds he was making between her legs.

Lo spread her knees further giving him better access, and Bucky swore.

He put a finger against her entrance, pressing gently. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, urging him to go further.

Bucky eased a finger in, and then another, teasing and working at her entrance while his thumb nudged her clit. She gasped again, arching against him. Bucky grinned.

She felt her stomach coil, tighter and tighter as he continued working on her clit, stretching his fingers inside her. She swore, unable to stop herself as he brought her closer and closer to that edge.

Bucky’s lips met hers once more and they kissed. His thumb continued tracing patterns around her clit, and his fingers curled just so-

Lo cried, Bucky swallowed the sound as she came apart on his fingers.

Her hands reached up to run through his hair, now a tangled mess around his face.

She kissed him. Again and again and again.

Her legs wrapped around his waist, pulling him closer until the tip of his hard length nudged at her entrance.

Bucky put a hand between them, guiding himself into her, inch by inch.

He swore, over and over, pushing deeper until he was buried completely in her heat.

Bucky breathed, giving her a second to adjust, before his hips rocked slowly against hers. 

She met each and every movement, crossing her ankles around his back and pulling him towards her.

Bucky’s hands caged her in on either side of her head. His mouth trailing kisses from her chest to her neck to her face.

He felt so good, so so good inside her. Lo wondered how she had ever been able to live without him before. How she would ever be without him again.

In and out he moved, hitting a spot so deep inside her that she saw stars. 

She could think of nothing else but him- so strong, so powerful, so beautiful. Her heart swelled in her chest.

She loved him, dammit. More than anything.

Bucky captured her lips between his, kissing her with a passion that mimicked everything she felt inside. 

Her stomach tightened again, and she felt herself creeping higher and higher towards that edge. Until she was shattering around him, coming apart at the seams. 

Bucky thrusted, again and again, chasing his own release. He chanted her name like a prayer, like it was something holy, something to be worshipped.

His blue eyes were screwed shit, his head thrown back in pure bliss. 

He looked like an angel. Like the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

Bucky came with her name still on his lips, his head on her shoulder.

She ran her hands through his tangled hair, trying to steady her breathing while Bucky panted above her.

She would never be the same. 

He had ruined her for anyone else. And she was somehow grateful for it.

Bucky lifted his head, his eyes meeting hers.

Blue and warm and _home._

He kissed her again, just cause he could, just cause he wanted to,.

“You’re everything, Lo. _Everything.”_

Lo smiled beneath him, her hands reaching up to cradle his face.

 _I love you_ , she thought, still too afraid to say it. 

She brought her lips crashing against his and hoped he understood.

~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no excuses.


	19. Time To Suit Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A long chapter to make up for how short last weeks was :) As always, let me know what you thought in the comments below!

Lo and Bucky spent the next few hours under the moonlight, tangled up in blankets and pillows. He worshipped her body, constantly pressing soft kisses to any open skin he could reach. 

Lo felt dizzy and high on love, and the only thing keeping her grounded were his blue eyes and lazy smiles.

She had managed to put her dress and coat back on. Her underwear, however, was a lost cause- much to Bucky’s glee.

He offered to buy her a new pair, of course, his eyes filling with hunger as he took in the sight of her ripped panties. Lo shoved him, but couldn’t fight the blush from creeping onto her cheeks.

The food was all gone, as well as the wine, and even the lanterns had slowly started winking out.

Bucky turned to her, his hand running gently through her hair.

“Time to head back?” he asked.

Lo looked up into his blue eyes, and then out to the lake in front of them. Still so bright under all those stars.

“Let’s just stay here forever,” she grinned. Bucky chuckled.

“I could live with that.”

But all too quickly the final lanterns went out, and the air turned a little too cold for comfort, especially with her wet hair. 

Bucky began gathering their supplies. He picked up the scattered lilies, handing them to Lo, before stuffing the rest of the items back into the picnic basket.

He stood, offering her his hand, and the two of them walked back to the car.

“Thank you, again,” Lo said, breaking their comfortable silence. “This is by far the best date i’ve ever had.”

It was probably the best night of her _life_ , if she was being honest.

“No problem, Doll,” he kissed the back of her palm. “You deserve it all.”

She smiled at him- wide and goofy and carefree. He grinned right back.

It was a moment she wanted to bottle up and live in forever. Holding hands with Bucky under the stars, his face so relaxed and happy. It was like a load had been taken off his shoulders- he looked younger, somehow. More alive, even.

“You’re staring again,” he smirked. Lo elbowed him in the side.

Bucky hoisted her over a few of the fallen trees, helping her back to the car. 

“I like looking at you,” she admitted, feeling her cheeks heat up. “Does that bother you?”

He shook his head. “No, not when it’s you.”

Lo rose a brow, beckoning him to continue. He shrugged.

“People stare at me a lot. Because they’re scared of me, or somethin’. It makes me uncomfortable most of the time, but...I like when you look at me. You don’t look at me like i’m a freak. You look at me like I'm...special, or something.”

Lo felt her face heat up even more. He watched every expression with a smile.

“That’s cause you _are special_ , Buckaroo,” she winked. Bucky tipped back his head and laughed.

“I know you just agreed with me, but somehow I feel insulted.”

It was Lo’s turn to laugh then.

Bucky unlocked the car once they approached, putting the basket and blankets in the back before running around to open her door for her.

He got into the driver's seat, twisting the key so the car purred to life and set off down the road- back to Avengers compound.

~~~~

Things at the compound were still quiet when they arrived. Though, Lo realised after looking at a clock, it was now after midnight. They had probably all gone to bed.

Bucky parked the car in the garage, leaving the supplies in the back seat, claiming he’d come back for them later. He grabbed her hand and walked with her back to their apartment.

She was struck, once again, by how drastically her life had changed in such a short amount of time. Walking back to her room- with Bucky- it felt like coming _home_. The feeling was so foreign, but so special, it made her almost emotional.

Bucky led her down the halls and to their room, unlocking the door with his fingerprints. 

Everything was the same as when they had left, but somehow, inexplicably, entering their apartment felt _different_. Physically, nothing had changed, but emotionally- mentally- Lo was different.

She wasn’t just walking into the room she shared with Bucky. She was walking into her home, with a man she loved more than anything. 

For the first time in a very, very long time- Lo didn’t want to be anywhere else. She had found her place in the world, after years and years of travelling, and she didn’t want to leave.

Bucky had given her a reason to stay. A reason she couldn’t refuse.

He kissed her hand, still interlocked with his, before taking the flowers from her other arm and placing them in the makeshift vase from earlier.

Lo let out a breath, watching him walk away.

Bucky paused by the vase, his hands reaching out to touch a small box on the counter.

“What is that?” Lo asked, coming to stand beside him.

It was black velvet, the size of a jewellery box. But where it had come from, Lo had no idea.

“I’m not sure,” Bucky said, his brows furrowed in confusion.

“Friday?” Lo called. The A.I answered a moment later. “What’s this?”

“Sir left it for you. He said it was a gift for Mr. Barnes.”

“A gift?” Bucky asked skeptically.

“It’s safe, I assure you.”

Bucky grabbed a knife from his sleeve and poked the box, as if waiting for it to explode. When he seemed sure it wasn’t going to kill him, he removed the lid. 

A piece of paper fell out.

_“Barnes,_

_A contact of mine found these. I thought you might want them._

_Also, Friday tells me you’re on a date with Queen Elizabeth tonight. Be careful. If I find out you hurt her, well, you already know what i’ll do._

_TS”_

“Ookay?” Lo asked, after reading the note. Bucky’s confused face mirrored hers.

He placed the note to the side and looked into the box.

There was a silver chain, with two tags at the bottom. _Dog tags_ , Lo realised as Bucky pulled it out of the box. 

Bucky picked up a tag, reading it.

JAMES B BARNES

“My tags,” he exhaled. “I never thought i’d see these again.”

They were covered in scratches, the numbers chipped in places, but the silver was shiny as if it had just been polished. Bucky breathed a chuckle, turning them over in his hand. 

His eyes had glazed over, like he was reliving some painful memories. Lo placed a hand on his shoulder and he startled, as if just remembering she was there.

“Are you okay?” she asked quietly. He nodded.

“I still remember the day I lost these. It was the last time I ever saw Steve or any of the commandos again- the day I fell from that train.”

Lo reached out a hand, a silent request. He placed the chain gently in her palm.

She took a look at the first tag, running her thumb across the surface. It was a reminder of what Bucky had endured- everything he had been through, the person he used to be and how far he had come since then. The people he had lost along the way.

His tags represented all of that. It had to be painful for him, reliving those memories. But she refused to let him dwell on it any longer.

Lo loosened the chain, putting it over his head and around his neck. The tags fell in the centre of his chest.

“Now it can be a reminder. Whenever you wear this, you know you have your friends and family with you.”

She put a hand over the tags, right over his heart. His blue eyes met her.

She could see every emotion so clearly in those eyes. His pain, his loss, but most importantly- his hope. 

He leaned in, planting a soft, warm kiss on her lips.

“Thank you,” Bucky said, his voice raspy with emotion. She kissed him back twice as fiercely.

His hand held hers over the tags, squeezing gently.

“I guess I should thank Stark too, for giving them back to me.”

“It can wait until tomorrow,” Lo smiled, lifting a hand to rest on his cheek.

“Alright,” Bucky smiled, leaning his forehead against hers.

~~~~

Lo woke up the next morning to a face full of hair that wasn’t hers. 

She had gone to bed with Bucky, falling asleep cuddled up against him. But at some point during the night they must have shifted, because now Lo was spooning Bucky and his long dark hair was all over her face.

Lo sneezed.

“Bles’ yu,” Bucky mumbled into the pillow. Lo chuckled.

“What time is it?”

He shrugged beside her, nuzzling deeper under the blankets. Lo looked around for a clock. 8:30am.

Shit, she had to get to her training with Nat. And she had work with Tony later.

Lo sat up, ready to run to the shower, when an arm wrapped around her waist and dragged her under the blankets.

“Ah!” Lo screamed, flailing her arms.

Bucky’s face appeared in front of her, grinning with mischief.

“I have to go get ready, we’ve got training with Natasha!”

“She can wait,” he smirked, leaning down to capture her lips between his.

Lo moaned, her protests dying away with his kiss.

Her hands move to tangle in his hair. Bucky put a hand on her hip, steadying her as his mouth claimed hers.

She sucked on his bottom lip, pulling it gently between her teeth. Bucky’s eyes darkened.

Her gaze shot to the clock. 8:36am. Shit, she really had to go and get ready.

Bucky kissed her again, distracting her once more. Lo felt her eyes flutter shut as she gave in to him.

His arm snaked under her waist, pulling her body flush against his. She tugged on his hair, eliciting a groan from him.

Bucky moved, trailing kisses across her jaw and down her neck.

He paused suddenly.

“What?” Lo asked, looking down at him. 

Bucky’s blue eyes flashed to hers and he smirked.

“You should probably look for yourself. In the mirror.”

In the mirror?

Lo wiggled out from underneath him, walking towards the full length mirror in his room.

The sight of her reflection made her gasp.

There were three giant hickeys on her neck, obviously from last night. Each one was a bright, angry purple.

“JAMES BUCHANAN BARNES!” 

Bucky howled with laughter, looking over at her from the bed. Lo’s face was bright red.

“How freaking old are you?! There's no _way_ I can hide these from Natasha!”

“I think they look great,” he grinned, tucking his hands under his head.

“Of course you do,” she said, dragging her hands over her face. 

She could try covering them with makeup, but Lo doubted it would stay on throughout her training. And she couldn’t exactly wear a scarf to cover them, either.

No. Nat was definitely going to see them, Lo might as well face it.

She stalked to the shower, pulling the finger at Bucky as she left. He only laughed at her, watching as she walked away, his eyes undoubtedly on her butt beneath his oversized shirt.

She hadn’t bothered to get pajamas of her own last night. Instead she just pulled on Bucky’s t-shirt with her underwear. It just barely covered the important parts.

Lo raced to the shower, not wanting to be late for her training.

~~~~

Bucky was waiting for her by the door once she was ready. His blue eyes were still bright with laughter as he took in the sight of her neck.

She had pulled on a hoodie to at least try and hide the marks, but judging by his face, it wasn’t working.

“Come on,” she said, nudging his shoulder as she passed.

His dog tags caught in the light, shining around his neck.

Bucky pinched her butt as she went.

~~~~

Nat took one look at Lo as she entered the gym, and her brows shot up.

“You two clearly had fun last night,” the Widow smirked. Lo felt her face heat up.

“What are we doing today?” she asked, trying to change the subject. Nat smirked and looked at Bucky.

“He and I are going on a run. You can join us, if you’d like. Otherwise you can wait around here for a bit until we start on your self defence lessons.”

 _A run with those two? No thanks._ They probably thought 15km at full pace was a light jog. 

Lo shook her head. “I’ll wait for you guys here.”

Bucky shot her a look, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking.

 _What?_ She beckoned, raising a brow. _You’re literally a supersoldier._

He rolled his eyes, but she saw the hint of a smile on his lips. It vanished as soon as Natasha snapped her fingers, and the two of them set off on a run, heading towards the outdoor track.

~~~~

Lo was damn glad she hadn’t agreed to go with them when the two arrived 30 minutes later, sweating profusely. Well, Nat's forehead was shining and her top was wet. Bucky was breathing heavier than normal. But, coming from those two, that meant a hell of lot.

Nat took Bucky through a few of their own training exercises. Mostly sparring, as they had done yesterday, before she let Bucky go off and do some personal training while she worked with Lo.

Her training was much more intense than the day before, now that Nat had a better understanding of Lo’s skill level. Natasha pushed her further and harder than Lo had ever been pushed before- until her arms were shaking with each and every punch, her knees threatening to buckle under her weight.

Bucky had tried to step in more than once, telling Nat to take it easy, but Lo just shook her head and kept going. She wanted to be strong, to be able to defend herself. This is what it would take.

Even if she had to spend the next three days with aching muscles. She’d do it.

Nat seemed impressed, giving her words of encouragement everytime Lo successfully made a hit. By the end of it her head was throbbing, and she was drenched with sweat, but she felt better. Stronger.

Nat called it quits just after 10:30, so that Lo could freshen up before meeting with Tony and starting on actual work.

Lo wouldn’t admit it, but she was a little nervous to see Tony this morning. She hadn’t seen him since she’d drawn that lovely union jack on his face. Tony was no doubt planning his revenge already, Lo knew better than to expect for him to just move on without retaliation. But she had no idea what he was planning on doing.

“Ready?” Bucky asked, interrupting her thoughts. He handed her a water bottle. Lo took it, gulping the water down eagerly.

She nodded, following Bucky back to their apartment to freshen up.

It didn’t take long, the both of them having separate showers before heading their separate ways. Bucky was meeting with Steve and Sam, while Lo was going to meet Tony in the workshop.

“I’ll see you later,” Bucky promised, leaning down to plant a kiss on her cheek and she went. She placed a hand on his chest, covering his dog tags.

“See you,” Lo smiled, moving to kiss his lips instead.

She dragged herself away reluctantly, not wanting to be anymore late than she already was. Lo turned, blowing Bucky a sarcastic kiss as she left their apartment.

~~~~

Tony was waiting for her in the workshop when she arrived. His head popped up as she approached.

“Well, look who it is,” he grinned.

“Hi, Tony,” Lo smiled.

He gave her a quick once over, before his eyes caught on her neck and she paused.

Shit. She forgot to put on the makeup.

Tony rose a brow, but said nothing else. Lo let out a breath.

“What’s the plan for today?” she asked.

“Well, we’re a little behind after Pepper gave you the day off yesterday. I want your help with a new bow for Robin Hood, and there's a couple of other things too.”

Lo nodded, approaching the bench he was currently working on. He had several holograms laid out depicting various models of Clint’s bow, as well as the different types of arrows.

“Is there anything in particular he wants done to it?” Lo asked. Tony shrugged. 

“Not really. He actually hates me touching the thing, but he’s injured, so now is the only chance I have to improve it while he can’t use it.”

Lo examined each of the blueprints. They were nice, good quality, but outdated. Like Bucky’s original gun, Clint could certainly do with a few upgrades.

“I have some left over vibranium from Shuri. We could incorporate that into the new design. It would improve the durability of the bow, and the strength of the shot too.”

Tony whirled on her.

“You have vibranium? _Here?_ In MY workshop? And you didn’t tell me?” 

Lo grinned.

“Shuri said not to tell you, because then you’d want some too.”

“Of course i’d want some! You know what, forget it- we are not wasting the most valuable material in the world on Clint fucking Barton.”

Lo rolled her eyes.

“Well it’s not like you need it. I know you’re working on nanotech, that’ll be just as good as the vibranium.”

Tony’s mouth opened in surprise.

“How do you know i’m looking into nanotech?”

“I went through your computer.”

“Seriously? Those files were supposed to be secure.”

“I wouldn’t call ‘tonyisthebest’ a very secure password.”

Tony gasped.

“HOW DID YOU FIGURE OUT MY PASSWORD?”

Lo looked at him, brows raised.

“Fine, fine, those files aren’t very secure. But still, stay out of my stuff.”

Lo grinned. 

“So. Vibranium in the bow or not?”

“Or not. Do something else, but save the vibranium for later.”

“Whatever,” Lo shrugged, zooming in on the holograms.

Tony stepped back, leaving her to it.

“Wait, where are you going?” she asked.

It was only 11:30, there was no way he could be done for the day.

“I have a lunch date with Mrs Potts,” he grinned.

“Don’t you have work to do?”

“I do, but my _lovely assistant_ offered to do it all for me. You know, after she so kindly drew on my face the other night.”

_Ah, there it was. Payback._

“I am not your assistant,” Lo said.

“You are today, kiddo. And I want that bow finished by tonight, or you’re fired.”

Lo rolled her eyes at the empty threat.

“This is going to take hours,” she complained.

“Good. It can make up for all the hours I spent scrubbing sharpie off my face.”

Lo grinned. Now that he mentioned it, Tony’s face was looking a little more red than usual.

“Tell Pepper I said ‘Hi’,” Lo resigned, shaking her head.

“I won’t,” Tony called over his shoulder, before leaving the workshop.

Lo sighed, grabbing a chair and settling in at the bench. She might as well have a seat. This really was going to take a while.

Lo wasn’t very familiar with the mechanics of a bow and arrow. Especially not one as high tech as Clint's, so first she had to learn the ins and outs of each and every design before she could move on to making a new one.

It was tedious and long, but, after her little prank on Tony, Lo supposed she deserved it.

She rubbed a hand over her face, pulling up each of the designs and settled in for a long day of work.

~~~~

Several hours later, Lo finally had a design she was happy with. It was somewhat of a combination of three different blueprints Tony already had, but enhanced with her own ideas. She had even designed a few new arrows, fitted with different tips for different styles of shots- short range, long range, explosive, you name it. 

But, possibly her favourite, was the last arrow she’d designed. It was programmed to explode on impact, sending hundreds of metal shards flying throughout the air. After a second, each shard lit up and connected to the shards next to it via an electric current.

With one of these arrows, Clint could electrocute any number of enemies within a 10 foot radius. Not enough to kill anyone, but certainly enough to stun them.

She was just programming the machines to begin making the designs when an alarm cut through the air.

_An alarm?_

Lo popped her head up, looking up from her workbench in surprise. She knew that alarm. It was included as part of the crash course Tony took her through on her first day.

“Friday?” Lo called uncertainly, shouting to be heard over the ear piercing sirens.

“Apologies, Dr. Haynes. Sir has alerted me that a breakthrough has been made in regards to Hydra. All team members are to proceed to the conference room immediately and await further instructions.”

As if on cue, the floor lit up with bright arrows guiding the path through to the conference room.

Lo froze.

A breakthrough with Hydra?

Her head felt like it was spinning. _Bucky- she needed to find Bucky._

The alarm was still blaring through the air. Lo jumped from her bench, practically sprinting out of the workroom and across to the conference room. 

Tony was already there when she arrived, as was Pepper, who was sitting in a chair looking nervous.

Pepper never looked nervous. She was one of the most collected people Lo knew. 

“What's going on?” Lo breathed. 

She had only had to come from down the hall, so she was the first person there.

Tony gestured for her to take a seat, his lips pulled into a tight line.

Rhodey came rushing in behind her, followed by Thor, Wanda, Vision, and Dr Banner.

“What’s happening?” Rhodey called.

The alarms were cut off from the conference room, so he didn’t have to shout to be heard.

“Lady Friday said this pertains to Hydra- tell us what you know,” Thor said, holding his hammer menacingly.

“Take a seat,” was all Tony said, his face still tense.

Lo couldn’t sit down, she was too busy looking around. 

_Where the hell was Bucky?_

Natasha came in next, looking as cool as ever, with Clint and his crutches right on her tail.

They didn’t ask any questions, just took the closest available seats and waited.

Lo felt her heart pounding in her chest.

_What’s taking them so long?_

Finally, _finally_ , the thundering of footsteps came down the hall, and Steve appeared- followed by Sam and- _oh thank god_ \- Bucky.

Steve spotted Lo first, his face filling with relief.

“I told you she’d be here,” he called over his shoulder at Bucky.

“Sorry we’re late. Barnes here went all terminator when we heard the alarm. He wouldn’t leave without Lolita. We searched half the damn compound before Steve convinced him she was already here,” Sam grumbled.

But Lo wasn’t listening. She just ran over and wrapped her arms around Bucky. He pulled her into a bone crushing hug.

“‘M sorry, Doll. I heard the alarms and I thought we were under attack, I couldn’t find you-” Bucky was rambling, trying to get the words out.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m right here,” she breathed a sigh of relief, ignoring the feel of her heart still pounding in her chest. Bucky clutched onto her tight, as if assuring himself she was really there.

“What’s the emergency?’ Steve called, moving to stand next to Tony.

Lo let go of Bucky, grabbing his hand instead and pulling him further into the conference room. They didn’t sit. Lo was too anxious, and she knew Bucky would be feeling the same.

“We found the leak,” Tony said.

“What leak? You mean the one from Shield? That gave away the location of the supersoldiers?” Rhodey asked. Tony nodded.

“I got an alert today, when I was out with Pepper. Friday ran some checks while we were gone and we got a hit…” he paused.

“What is it?” Nat asked.

Tony took a deep breath.

“This whole time, i’ve been operating under the assumption that someone from Shield gave information to Hydra. That’s why it’s taken so long to figure out.” He sighed, “But there was no leak at all. There is no mole. We were hacked.”

“Hacked?” Steve asked.

Tony nodded.

“I asked Friday to run some checks, just precautionary stuff for security. We found an error in one of the codes. Our files have been tampered with- but not from Shield. From a remote location in London.”

_London?_

“The other Hydra base,” Steve breathed, his face dropping.

“Yeah. The Hydra base. I thought it was empty, but they’ve been in hiding. It seems they’ve been active this whole time, and were using that base to hack into Shield and get access to our top secret files.”

Lo felt all the breath leave her body at once.

“Oh shit- so Hydra-” Sam interrupted.

“Yes. Hydra is in fucking London, hiding in a place we completely overlooked.”

“I don’t understand, I thought you investigated that base once we got back from Munich?” Banner interrupted, shaking his head.

“I did. They must be deep underground, and damn good at covering their tracks, because we found nothing. Not until today.”

“Do they know we know?” Clint asked.

“No, but they’ll figure out soon. That’s why we have to act fast.”

“We need a plan,” Nat cut in.

“We have a plan. Get on a goddamn jet to London and take them out,” Tony argued.

“We don’t know what we’re up against. It could be dangerous,” Steve said.

“We don’t have time to waste. While we’ve been messing around here, Hydra have been in London gathering resources- maybe they have more supersoldiers, or maybe they’ve been hacking into more secret files. We don’t know, so we need to hurry.”

Lo shook her head. She felt like she couldn’t breathe.

Hydra- Hydra have been in London the whole time. In the place where she grew up, and she never even knew it. While she was partying with Tony and the team- they were in London doing god knows what. 

_What if they did find more supersoldiers? What if this whole time, they’ve been experimenting on people-_ Lo couldn’t even finish the thought. She felt sick.

Bucky clutched her hand, squeezing gently, the only thing keeping her from wanting to throw up.

“We’re going tonight,” Tony said. His tone left no room for argument.

The room was silent for a moment. Nat sighed, but otherwise maintained her composure. Lo couldn’t help but admire her for it.

“Then we need to go get ready. Hydra have had weeks to prepare- we have no idea what we’re up against, so we need to be ready for anything,” the redhead said.

Clint grunted in agreement. Nat fixed him with a look.

“You’re not going,” she said. He turned to look at her in shock.

“You’re too injured. You’ll only be a liability.”

“Thats bullshit, Romanoff!” Clint shouted.

“No it’s not. You’re staying here.”

Clint looked ready to fight, but Thor dropped his hammer on the table, bringing the room to silence once more.

“She’s right. It’s best you stay here, where you can watch over the compound. The rest of us must get ready for battle.”

He stood with a flourish, storming out of the room. Tony watched him walk away with a raised brow.

“What blondy said,” Tony grumbled. “We leave in an hour.”

The team dispersed, filing out of the conference room. Bucky squeezed Lo’s hand once more.

“Come on, Doll,” he said quietly, tugging on their interlocked hands. Lo followed him, almost unseeingly, back to their apartment.

Bucky and the team were going to fight Hydra in London. 

Hydra, who Lo had so naively thought were finished. Were too damaged to be any kind of real threat. When, in reality, they had been ready all along- waiting in a secret base in London, gathering resources.

And now Bucky was going back there. Again. To fight the people who had hurt him so badly in the past.

“It’s alright, Doll,” he mumbled, pulling her gently to the front door of their apartment. He was in a rush, obviously, but still trying hard not to freak her out.

 _Too late_ , Lo thought.

Bucky unlocked their apartment and Lo followed him in.

She thought he would go straight to his room to get his weapons, but he shut the door softly behind her.

“I’m sorry,” he said, turning to look her directly in the eyes. Lo didn’t know why, but it made her feel emotional.

She shook her head.

 _Enough_. She needed to be tough. Crying wasn’t going to help anyone.

“It’s okay,” she said, reaching to put a hand on his cheek. He leaned into her touch.

Bucky’s blue eyes bore into hers, filled with so much sincerity it took the breath from her lungs.

“You’re gonna be okay. You’re gonna go to London, find Hydra, and kick their asses. For good, this time. No more secret bases. No more surprises,” she said.

Bucky didn’t even hesitate.

“I promise. I’ll come back as soon as I can. Always, remember?”

“Always,” she nodded, blinking away the tears from her eyes.

Bucky pulled her into a bone crushing hug, his huge frame covering hers.

She squeezed the back of his shirt between her hands, not wanting to let go.

Bucky took a deep breath, nuzzling into her hair. He placed a kiss to her hairline and squeezed her gently before letting go.

“I need to find my weapons and get ready. I’ll be back soon.”

He dropped a kiss to her cheek and stalked back to his room.

It was a strange thing, watching him walk away in that moment.

As if with every step, she watched the man she loved disappear and be replaced by the cold, ruthless mask he wore to fight.

It was armor, she realised. Bucky’s facade. He used it to scare off others as much as he used it to protect himself from being hurt.

He disappeared behind his bedroom door, and Lo felt her heart break a little for him.

One day, she thought. One day, she’d like to take Bucky far, far away from here. To a place where he could be himself- carefree and happy, like he was at the lake. A place where he didn’t have to hide behind that ruthless mask, or constantly be on the lookout for danger.

She wanted to take him somewhere he could be _free._

One day, but not today.

No, because today he had to go and fight Hydra. She just hoped he gave them hell.

Bucky emerged a few minutes later, wearing his usual scary-assassin outfit, with his new dog tags hanging around his neck. She could count at least a handful of visible weapons on him, and was sure he was hiding even more in places she couldn’t see.

But his hair was still loose, the waves falling in front of his face. Bucky looked at her.

“I was wondering if you could do it,” he asked quietly, offering her a hair band.

“Of course,” she said, her throat tight with emotion.

Lo came to stand behind him. He had to duck down for her to reach, but she made it work.

She ran her fingers gently through his hair, brushing it all back from his face, and tied it up into a bun. 

She pulled on a few strands, testing it, and smiled slightly. Hopefully it would hold during the fight.

“Thank you,” Bucky murmured, turning to face her.

She smiled up at him, brighter this time.

If Bucky hid his fear behind a mask, then she could hide hers behind a smile.

“I should go. I need to get my gun from Stark's weapons room.”

 _His gun!_ Lo remembered. If there were ever a time to give it to him, it was now.

“Wait-” Lo said, putting a hand to his chest. “I made you something. Come on.”

She didn’t have time to feel anxious as Lo pulled Bucky out of their apartment and down to the workshop.

“What’s-” Bucky tried to ask, but Lo cut him off.

“Friday? Can you open that secret door again?”

On cue, a section of the workshop wall hissed and opened, revealing the secret compartment where Lo had hidden Bucky’s weapon.

It was still sitting there, utterly untouched, the vibranium shining beautifully.

Bucky’s brows shot up as she picked up the gun, light but still too big for her, and showed it to him.

“Uh, what is that?” Bucky asked, mouth agape.

“I made it for you. It’s a replica of your other gun- the M249- but with a couple adjustments.”

She gestured for him to take it. He approached gingerly, as if afraid it might go off. 

His face lit up with awe as he took the weapon carefully from her arms.

“You made this?” he confirmed, looking utterly awestruck.

Lo nodded, her face heating up.

“The whole thing is vibranium, so it’s practically indestructible. And if you click here-” Lo tapped on the gun, showing how to change lenses. “-you can switch between scopes. There’s a separate one for short range, long range, night and heat vision. Oh!” she shouted, stepping back from him.

“Friday, can you bring up a target, please?”

On the far side of the workshop a small bullseye appeared. Lo checked to first make sure there was no one around- and nothing priceless that could be broken- before turning back to Bucky.

“I also increased the firing rate and the magazine size, and you shouldn’t have any problem with overheating. Give it a try.”

He was still looking at her, as if he couldn’t quite believe what she was saying. 

Lo nudged him with her hip, weary of the giant gun in his arms.

He looked towards the target, sizing it up.

Bucky put a hand over the trigger. The metal flared under his fingertips, reading his prints, before activating. Lo let out a breath, _thank god that worked._

He held the gun to his shoulder, switching the lens for a close range shot.

Bucky inhaled, once, twice, and then fired on the exhale.

A perfect shot, straight through the centre.

Bucky put the gun down, switching on the safety. He turned to look at her.

“I attached a new silencer too. That’s why it’s so quiet,” she blushed.

He blinked at her in disbelief.

“You really made this, just for me?”

“Of course,” she smiled. “I wanted you to be protected out in the field. What better way to do that, then by designing you the perfect shield?”

Shield wasn’t exactly the right word for the weapon Bucky was currently holding, but she knew he understood. It was made to protect him, in any situation, rather than to take out others.

“I don’t know what to say,” he said, voice tight with emotion.

“Then don’t say anything. It’s yours. If you want it, of course.”

Her heart rate picked up once more. She wouldn’t force him to take it, but it would certainly ease her conscience if she knew he had her weapon with him.

“Of course I want it,” Bucky choked, shaking his head. He dumped the gun on a work bench and pulled her into a tight hug. “No ones ever done something like this for me before. I- Thank you.”

She hugged him back just as tightly.

“I added your fingerprints, too. That’s why it lit up when you held it. It’s registered to your biometrics, so no one else can operate it but you.”

He let her go, stepping back so he could study her face.

His blue eyes were still bright with awe and something she couldn’t quite name. Bucky seemed genuinely amazed that she had made something for him.

If only he knew that she’d make hundreds of things- thousands, even, if that’s what it would take just to make him as happy as he looked right now.

“You surprise me everytime,” he whispered.

Bucky put a hand on either side of her face, pulling her into a firm kiss.

Lo melted into his touch, her hands resting on his chest.

He stroked a thumb across her cheekbone, deepening the kiss until she could feel it right down to her toes.

The world could start burning around her, and Lo wouldn’t even notice. All she could see- think- _breathe_ was Bucky.

He pulled back for air, resting his forehead against hers.

“Apologies Mr. Barnes, Dr. Haynes, but it’s time to leave,” Friday interrupted.

Lo closed her eyes, wishing they could just ignore the A.I and run back to the apartment.

“Walk me out, Doll?” Bucky asked, as if sensing she wasn’t ready to leave him yet. Lo nodded.

He stepped back, picking up the gun from where he left it on the bench. The weapon scanned his palm and then flared to life.

Bucky’s eyes flicked to hers.

“I don’t know if i’ve ever told you this, but you’re a genius- you know that right?”

Lo tipped her head back and laughed.

“Well _obviously_. I didn’t get this far on looks alone,” she teased.

Bucky tucked the gun under one arm, taking her hand in the other.

“Coulda’ fooled me. With a face like that, I figured you could get anything you ever wanted with just a smile.”

Lo blushed, nudging him in the side. 

“Whatever, Big Guy.”

“I mean it!” he argued, smiling at her. “Pretty _and_ smart,” he let out a low whistle. “I envy the lucky bastard who gets to come home to you.”

Lo couldn’t help but laugh again, loud and carefree, like she wasn’t walking her boyfriend off to battle.

“He is pretty lucky,” Lo grinned. “And handsome too,” she wagged her eyebrows at him. Bucky chuckled, dipping down to place a sloppy kiss on her cheek. She felt butterflies erupt in her stomach. 

Steve caught them in the hallway, obviously on his own way down to the meeting point. He took in their position, hand in hand, laughing like lovestruck idiots, and smiled softly.

Lo couldn’t help but smile back.

“Ready to go, Cap?” she asked. Steve shrugged.

“Ready as i’ll ever be, I suppose.”

Lo nodded in understanding. 

“How ‘bout you, pal?” Steve asked, turning to Bucky.

Lo watched as the familiar mask slowly fell over Bucky’s features. His gaze hardened and his posture straightened, but his hand remained a comforting warmth in her own.

Bucky nodded. “Let’s get this over with.”

~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Buckle up, people. Shit's about to get real.


	20. Always, Remember?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two updates in one week? *gasp*. I couldn't help myself, i've been in the writing mood lately.
> 
> As always, I hope you guys enjoy, please let me know what you thought in the comments below!

Lo walked with her supersoldiers down to the meeting point. Steve's shield reflected in the light as they walked.

It seemed like a lifetime ago since Shuri called Lo and the two of them began working on a new shield for Steve. Lo’s gaze shifted to Bucky’s arm, the cool grey complimenting the black gun it carried. 

It was the project that had started it all. That led her to here, and now, walking down the halls of the Avengers compound, hand in hand with the most deadly assassin in the world.

Her _life._

And yet, Lo wouldn’t change a thing.

She had never been as happy as she was with Bucky. Every minute she spent with him were the best minutes of her life. So of course, there was a part of her that so selfishly wanted him to stay here- where she could guarantee his safety- but no matter how big that part was, she refused to act on it.

Because Bucky had a job to do. And as much as she wished he could stay, she knew that wasn’t in Bucky’s nature. He couldn’t sit and do nothing while organisations like Hydra were still around. He cared too much. It was one of the many things she loved about him.

So Lo swallowed her feelings, put on a brave face, and walked with Bucky and Steve towards the rest of the Avengers.

 _He’s coming back_ , she told herself, and refused to think anything else.

The rest of the team were waiting outside, a huge jet thrumming behind them. Lo felt her heart rate quicken.

They were all suited up, besides Clint and Dr. Banner, and were standing around the jet talking amongst themselves.

Sam was the first to acknowledge them, and to her surprise, he spoke to Lo first.

“Thanks for the tune up,” Sam winked, gesturing to his repaired wings. Lo laughed, despite herself.

“No problem. Hopefully they won’t jam anymore.”

Sam wagged his eyebrows at her. “We’ll see.”

Bucky clenched his jaw, and Sam’s gaze flicked to him. He grinned.

“What’s the matter with you, Old man?”

Lo saw Steve roll his eyes and she couldn’t help but chuckle.

“You done?” was all Bucky said. Sam held his hands up in mock surrender.

“Relax man, i’m just having some fun.”

Bucky only grunted, turning his back on Sam. Lo let out a laugh. She couldn’t help but like Sam, no matter how much he annoyed Bucky.

The site of her smile eased Bucky’s scowl, but he remained rigid. She squeezed his palm, trying to soothe him.

There was a scoff, and then some muttering. Lo turned her head just in time to see Tony stomping towards them, his footsteps amplified by the suit.

“Uh, Haynes, what the hell is that?” Tony asked, gesturing to Bucky’s gun, “And why don’t I have one?”

“That’s what I needed the vibranium for,” she smiled. “And you don’t have one, because you probably can’t be trusted with it.”

“That's bullshit and you know it,” Tony grinned.

“Is it though?” Lo said, mocking him.

Nat called out through the crowd, telling the team to board the jet. Tony turned back to Lo, pointing at her.

“I want one of those guns, Queen Elizabeth!”

She rolled her eyes at him but he didn’t see, flipping the mask of his suit over his face and stalking back to the jet.

The rest of the team made their way onto the ramp, boarding the jet. Lo turned to Bucky, her heart racing once more.

 _It’s fine_ , she kept telling herself. _They do this kind of thing all the time. He’s going to be fine._

Bucky’s blue eyes met hers.

“Stay safe while i’m gone,” he said. “I’ll be back soon, okay? Always.”

Lo nodded, trying to steady her shaking hands. Bucky leaned forward and kissed her forehead gently.

“Be careful,” she said, trying to sound more confident than she felt.

“I will. Here,” Bucky stepped back, grabbing the dog tags from around his neck.

He pulled them over his head, before placing them into her shaking hands. Bucky wrapped her fist around the chain.

“Look after this for me, until I get back.”

“Wait, Bucky-”

“Until I get back,” he said, cutting her off.

Lo shook her head. She knew how important his tags were to him. They were one of the only things he had of his life before Hydra.

Steve approached them, gesturing to the jet.

“Time to go, Buck.”

Bucky nodded, stepping away from Lo and boarding the jet. Steve waited until Bucky and the rest of the team were all on board, before turning and walking on himself.

“Look after him, Steve,” Lo called, unable to help herself.

The Captain shot her a smile over his shoulder.

“Yes, Ma’am.”

He boarded the jet, the ramp closing shut after him. It hovered for a second before rising up and shooting off into the skies. Lo sighed, Bucky’s tag’s feeling suddenly heavy in her hand.

“He’s gonna be fine,” Clint said. 

Lo turned to find him studying her, a relaxed smile on his face. Lo nodded, more to herself than anything.

“I know,” she said.

“Wanna go get some food? I’m starving.”

Lo let out a nervous chuckle, before coming to stand by Clint’s side. She pulled Bucky’s dog tags over her head, letting the chain hang loose around her neck.

“Sure,” she smiled.

Clint began crutching back to the compound, Lo keeping pace beside him.

“How’s your leg?” she asked. He shrugged.

“Fine. Taking longer to heal than i’d like, but I should be off crutches by tomorrow.”

“That’s good,” she said, looking back at where the jet had just taken off. “And how annoyed are you to be stuck here with me?”

Clint chuckled. “Usually, i’d have no problem hanging around with you all day. But staying here and doing nothing while they go kick ass? It fucking sucks, man.”

Lo couldn’t help but laugh at him. “Yeah, I understand.”

And boy did she ever. Not the kicking ass part, but the waiting. 

It reminded her of Pepper, that time they had dinner together while the team went to Munich. The blonde told her that waiting was the worst part. Because while the others went off to go be heroes, people like Lo had to stay behind- with no idea of what was going on- just hoping that they'd all return in one piece. It felt like torture.

Lo shook her head.

 _He’s coming back,_ she promised herself, reaching up to grip the tag around her neck.

“Tony told me you were working on my new bow,” Clint said, interrupting her thoughts.

“I was. The designs are all finished actually, we can go check it out if you want?”

“Hmm,” Clint hummed. “Food first, toys later.”

They walked through to the main kitchen, grabbing some leftover food from the fridge before heading to the workshop.

Lo pulled out a seat for Clint, after making him promise not to touch anything, and brought up the designs for his new bow.

“How are you finding life at the compound?” Clint asked.

Lo thought for a moment. “It’s good,” she admitted, smiling softly.

“Just good?” Clint grinned. Lo rolled her eyes, she knew what Clint was hinting at. 

“I’m happy here. I’m doing what I love.”

His gaze dropped pointedly to her exposed neck.

“I can see that,” he smirked. Lo’s mouth dropped open. She grabbed the nearest tool and threw it at him.

Clint ducked, laughing loudly.

“I’m kidding!” 

She shook her head, ignoring the heat rising to her cheeks. _Damn Bucky and his damn hickeys._

“You didn’t deny it, though,” Clint said, a little quieter.

“What?”

“You didn’t deny it.”

“What part? That Bucky and I are together? I think that much is obvious,” she chuckled.

“No, that you love him. Does he know?”

Lo stilled.

 _Fucking spies._ Of course he would figure it out after one conversation.

Lo sighed, never a fan of lying.

“No. I haven’t told him yet.”

Clint nodded.

“You know we’re all really happy for you, right? I know we don’t say it, but we are. Until you came along, Bucky was this angry, brooding mess. Well, he still is, but at least he smiles now.”

Lo huffed a laugh, turning back to her work.

“Thanks, Clint.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Lo moved the hologram to his workbench, zooming in on the bow and arrows she designed. Clint let out a low whistle.

“Damn, that’s awesome. No wonder Tony trusts you enough to do things on your own.”

He focused on the bow, checking over the adjustments she made.

“Everything okay?” she asked. Clint grinned.

“Perfect. You even nailed the size.”

“You should see these,” Lo said, showing him the electric arrows she designed. “They’re made to explode on impact, electrocuting anything they touch.”

Clint’s brows shot up in surprise.

“Holy shit that’s cool. What else can you make?”

“Anything,” she laughed. “If you’ve got any ideas, just let me know.”

“ _Awesome._ ”

Lo couldn't help but laugh again. He reminded her of a little kid like this.

Lo sent the designs to Tony’s bots so that they could begin production. 

“It should be done in an hour or so,” she said. Clint nodded, sliding over a plate of food.

“I’ve got nothing better to do.”

~~~~

Lo was surprised to admit she had a lot of fun with Clint. They didn’t do much, just ate and talked while his bow and arrows were being made. But it was nice to have the company.

He could take her mind off Bucky for a bit, so that she wasn’t making herself sick with worry. But still, after a while, her eyes flicked to the clock in the back of the room. It was late afternoon. The team had been gone for a couple hours now, and there were still no updates from Friday.

“They probably just landed,” Clint said, as if reading her thoughts. It unnerved her how easily he did that- reading her like it was nothing.

Lo nodded.

“It’s strange, don’t you think?” she found herself asking. Clint looked at her in questioning.

“I mean...Hydra went through all this effort, for weeks, to keep us from finding out about their base in London. And then all of a sudden, Friday gets a signal with their exact location.”

“What are you saying?” Clint asked.

Lo didn’t know why, but it was bothering her suddenly. There was something itching at her.

“Doesn’t that seem weird to you? Tony said Friday wasn’t even looking into it. Not really. He was just running some security checks when he got a hit in London. After weeks of trying with no result- we suddenly get a hit.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

 _Well, yes,_ Lo supposed. _It was good that they found the Hydra base_. But… Why now? After a random, practically accidental, security check? Hydra were able to get past all their defenses undetected before- and now what, suddenly they mess up? It was almost as if-

As if-

And then the thought hit.

_As if they wanted to be found._

Hydra were able to hack into Shield once, to get that list of supersoldiers without anyone knowing. So what was stopping them from doing it again? From leading the Avengers straight to them-

Lo dropped her fork.

It was just a thought. Only a guess. She had to be wrong, she had to be-

“What is it?” Clint asked.

Lo jumped from her chair and ran straight for the nearest monitor.

“Friday, put me through to Stark. It’s an emergency.”

“Yes, Doctor.”

“What is it?” Clint repeated, grabbing his crutches and coming to stand beside her.

Lo couldn’t hear anything over the rush of blood in her ears.

“It’s a trap,” she breathed. “They planted the signal. Hydra knows we're coming.”

“What?!” Clint shouted. “No, it can’t-”

“Haynes?” Tony’s voice called over the speakers. Lo breathed a sigh of relief.

“Tony! Where are you? I need you to-”

There was an explosion over the speakers, followed by a scream and some shouting. Lo felt her stomach drop.

“TONY?!”

“HAYNES- LO- SHIT!”

The audio cut out with a loud screech followed by white noise.

_Oh no, oh god-_

“What's happening?” Clint shouted.

“Friday bring him back!”

“I’m trying, Doctor. I can’t get a signal-”

“Bring him back!” Lo screamed.

“HAYNES?!” Tony’s voice came back over the speaker, crackling and sporadic. There were more explosions in the back, followed by what sounded like gunshots.

 _Bucky_ , she thought, barely able to stop herself from shaking.

“What’s happening?!” Lo cried.

“IT’S-” the audio cut out again, “AMBUSH-”, “TELL FRIDAY-”

More gunshots filled the air and the call dropped, losing signal.

“No!” Lo shouted.

She started typing on the monitor, trying furiously to restore the connection.

“Get me through, Friday! To anyone- I need to know what’s going on!”

Lo brought up the details for the earpieces each person was wearing, trying desperately to get through to someone. It took valuable seconds, each moment of silence feeling heavier and heavier than the last. Until finally, _finally_ , she was able to connect to Steve’s earpiece.

“Cap?” Lo called, “Cap, can you hear me?!”

“Lo!” Steve replied, panting for air. The sound of explosions was even louder over the speakers. “Lo! Is that you?!”

“What the hells going on?!”

“It’s a trap! They were waiting for us-” another explosion followed by static. “We’re outnumbered!”

Steve swore as an even louder explosion came over the speakers. Lo brought her hands to her face, pulling at her hair. She was blinking furiously to try and stop the tears from clouding her vision.

Panic, pure, unrelenting panic filled her. 

“Steve?!” Clint called, trying to help. “What do we do?!”

But more gunshots rang out, and the audio was cut once more.

Lo started typing furiously again, barely able to see past her teary eyes- but it wasn’t working. Nothing was working. She couldn’t get through-

“HAYNES!” Tony’s voice cried out once more. “Execu-” white noise, followed by more gunshots. “911! 911! Tell Friday protocol 9-”

“Friday! Friday! Execute protocol 911!” Lo screamed.

“Yes, Doctor,” the A.I replied instantly.

From the other end of the workshop, more hidden panels in the walls opened up to reveal hidden compartments- and in each of them were rows and rows of hulk sized iron suits.

They dispatched immediately, flying out the nearest window like missiles.

“They won’t make it in time,” Clint breathed.

“They have to!” she shouted, but deep inside she knew he was right.

 _They had to. It had to work._ Lo couldn’t sit here and listen to the sounds of her friends get slaughtered- _Bucky promised, he promised he’d come back._

She went back to the monitor, trying desperately to get through to anyone. Even the explosions were better than the silence.

“Doctor, I was able to establish a secure connection with Capta-” 

“PUT HIM THROUGH!” Lo said, cutting off the A.I

More gunshots filled the air.

“Steve?! Steve! Are you-”

“We’re too outnumbered! We can’t hold them for long! They were waiting for us with explosives, we got separated-” Steve swore, obviously fighting someone off. “-I can’t-”

“Helps coming! Just stay with me-”

More explosions, Lo didn’t even know what number that one was.

“Friday! Is there any way I can get footage?”

Friday didn’t answer. Lo was about to ask again when the monitor in front of her lit up like it was on fire. Lo gasped, jumping back.

It was live footage of the Hydra base in London, from some nearby camera. The quality was patchy, but she could still clearly make out Steve and the team being absolutely slaughtered by all directions.

They were split up into small groups, each trying to fight off Hydra members while explosives rained down around them like fire.

Steve's voice filled the speakers again, his audio holding strong.

“SAM! Behind you!”

Lo watched as Steve threw his shield towards Sam, aiming for an attacker that was standing behind him.

Sam’s wings were on fire, barely moving as he was forced to fight on the ground. Lo spotted the attack just as Steve did.

Another guard rushed to replace the one that Steve took out, his gun pointed at Sam. But the shield had already bounced back to Steve. Sam was outnumbered, fighting off attackers from the otherside, completely oblivious to the gun at his back.

Lo was forced to watch, almost in slow motion, as the guard raised his gun and-

A dark head of hair and a metal arm came slamming through. 

Bucky raised his gun and knocked him out with the handle, saving Sam from being shot. Lo felt all the breath leave her body at once.

_Bucky- Bucky-_

But saving Sam had put him directly in the line of fire.

There were too many guards, Bucky couldn’t keep them at bay. Everytime he fired another would be quick to replace. And besides all that was the constant explosions, rocking the ground.

Lightning and red smoke filled the screen, but it wasn’t enough to stop the guards.

The suits were almost there- Lo told herself. Just hold on-

“NO!!!” Steve shouted.

Lo’s gaze snapped to him on screen, his arm outstretched, the shield lying at his side. But Steve, Steve was looking at-

Lo was forced to watch in horror as an impossible number of Hydra guards overwhelmed Bucky, dragging him under.

“NO!!” She screamed, her voice raw and breaking. “NO! NO! BUCKY-”

But more explosions rocked the scene, and the visual cut out momentarily.

When it came back, Bucky was gone.

“BUCKY- BUCKY! STEVE WHERE IS-”

“I don’t know!” Steve shouted, his voice as equally raw as hers. “I don’t, I can't-”

The suits finally arrived on scene, exploding into giants of red and gold. They set fire to the Hydra guards. It was a massacre- pure and utter bloodshed.

Hydra started retreating, falling back into places Lo couldn’t see.

There was too much smoke and debris- she couldn’t see Bucky- where was Bucky-

“Sam!” Steve called, as more and more Hydra guards retreated. “Sam!”

The smoke cleared, and Lo was able to see as Cap went running over fallen buildings and debris towards Sam.

“Sam!” he called again.

The rest of the team fell in behind him.

“What is it?” Lo heard Tony call. “What’s going on, is everyone alri-”

The sight was enough to bring Lo to her knees.

Sam stood, holding Bucky’s gun.

And Bucky was nowhere to be seen.

~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SORRY


	21. Little Spy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for leaving you all on that cliffhanger last chapter! don't be too mad <3 to make up for it, i'm going to try and stick to 2 updates per week instead of one!
> 
> hugs and kisses
> 
> Artemis

Lo could barely remember what happened next.

She thought she heard shouting, and maybe some screaming, and then it was like the whole world crumbled.

Clint caught her as she fell, making sure she didn’t hit her head, but Lo could hardly register it.

Her eyes were glued to the screen, where Sam was currently holding Bucky’s gun.

The gun she made for him. To protect him. To _save_ him.

It had failed.

It could have been minutes later, or maybe hours, but Clint moved her to the lounge so she could sit on a couch.

She thought he was talking to her, but she couldn’t seem to register anything. All she could see and hear was explosions, and Sam holding that gun- that _fucking gun._

Lo watched the sun pass over the sky in a daze.

_Bucky’s gone. He’s gone. Hydra took him._

His dog tags burned her skin like a hot poker. 

_He promised- he promised he’d come back._

Lo ran her hands through her hair, pulling it ruthlessly. She felt Clint put a hand on her shoulder.

“They looked everywhere, but they can’t find him. They’re on their way back now,” he said, kneeling in front of her. Lo nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

Her throat was still raw from screaming.

Clint’s mouth twisted, like he wanted to say something else. But instead he just patted her gently on the shoulder, rising back to his full height once more.

More time passed. Lo had no idea how long it was, but eventually she heard the sounds of an approaching jet, followed by a soft thud as it landed in front of the compound.

Seconds later, the door to the lounge opened with a crash, and a distraught looking Tony came rushing through.

He was covered in dust and dirt and blood, Lo had no idea how much of it was his.

Tony’s face crumbled when he saw her. And that sight alone was enough to set off the tears Lo had been struggling to keep in.

She sobbed, loud and pathetic, as Tony came rushing in and wrapped her up gently in his arms.

“He’s gone,” she cried, letting her tears soak into Tony’s already filthy shirt. “I saw it, I watched them take him down-”

“Shhh,” Tony hushed, trying to soothe her. He ran a hand over her head clumsily. “It’s okay, we’re gonna find him kid, okay? We’ll find him, I promise.”

_I promise._

Bucky had promised too.

Lo couldn’t contain the sob that racked through her. 

She hated it. It was pathetic and unhelpful but she couldn’t stop- _not Bucky. Not her Bucky. Anyone but him._

Tony just held her tight and let the sobs rake through her.

Lo wasn’t like them. She wasn’t a soldier- or a hero. She wasn’t strong. She couldn’t hold it together through this. Not without Bucky. Not when she finally realised she loved him, and hadn’t even had the chance to tell him.

Steve walked in the room next. And at the look on his face, Lo felt her heart break even more.

He looked _shattered._

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t save him-”

Lo dipped her head into Tony’s chest and cried again.

Steve ran over, his arm reaching out like he meant to hug her but he stopped uncertainly. Lo reached out and yanked him in, hugging him just as fiercely as she’d hugged Tony.

Tony didn’t seem to mind, just shifted to sit on the couch next to Lo while she cried her heart out on Steve’s chest.

“I tried looking for him, but it was like he just disappeared- they all disappeared. Not even Wanda’s power could find them. But we will, doll. We’ll get him back, I swear.”

Lo clutched onto Steve’s shirt, squeezing the fabric between her fist like it might help her pull herself together.

She shouldn’t cry. She should be stronger than this- but she wasn’t, dammit. It felt like her fucking heart had been ripped out of her chest.

“What happened?” Clint asked, trying to politely ignore Lo’s cries as the rest of the team filtered in.

Lo could barely see through her puffy eyes, but one look over Steve’s shoulder showed that the rest of the team looked just as bad, if not worse, than Tony did. Even Steve was worse for wear, now that she actually checked. He was covered in more dirt and blood than anyone else.

“It was a setup. They knew we were coming. We got to London, found the base, and the second we stepped off the jet it was like fire started raining down around us. There were too many- we’d probably all be dead right now, if those bots hadn’t showed up,” Nat answered.

She was clutching a bag of ice to her bleeding head, and there was a painful looking gash in her side.

“They must have planted the signal to draw us out. Probably so they could kidnap Barnes,” Sam answered, sounding dejected. His wings were gone, singed off at the base. The rest of his suit was barely hanging together, most of it burned away.

“You think they did all this for Bucky?” Clint asked, his brows furrowed.

“It makes sense,” Nat answered, her eyes going far away. “He was their best soldier. They’ll do anything to bring him back.”

Lo felt like a bucket of ice cold water had been dumped over her head. 

She hadn’t even let herself think about what Hydra could be doing to him. If he’s still alive, _dear God please let him be alive_ \- Lo couldn’t bear to think about the alternative- then Hydra were probably doing all sorts of disgusting things to him.

She felt so sick her body started to tremble.

“But they can’t-” Lo husked, “they can’t bring back the soldier. I removed the programming.”

“But they don’t know that,” Nat said, turning her gaze to Lo.

She saw pity in the redheads eyes, and somehow that was the worst reaction of all.

Lo saw every unspoken word in that look.

_Hydra don’t know that Bucky can’t be changed back to the Winter Soldier. But they’ll damn well try._

Real bile burned Lo’s throat.

She couldn’t let them hurt him. Not her Bucky. Never again.

“I’m coming with you. To find him.”

Lo felt Steve go very, very still beside her. Tony immediately opened his mouth to protest, but Lo cut him off with the fiercest look she could muster.

She rose a hand to her face, desperately wiping at the tears on her cheeks.

“I’m coming with you,” she said again. “I don’t care what you say. This is my fight now. I won’t let them hurt him again.”

Tony looked pained.

“No, kid, I can’t risk you getting hurt.”

“I don’t care,” Lo said, trying to look imposing despite her blotchy face. Steve put a warm hand on her knee.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Doc. Bucky would want you here- safe-”

“Okay,” Nat said, interrupting them all. She gave Lo an assessing look, and obviously found whatever it is she was searching for, because- “If you want to come with us, you can.”

Lo couldn’t keep the surprise from her face.

“What?” Tony spluttered. “She’ll get killed out there!”

“No, she won’t. I’ve been training with her. She can hold her own.”

“Against Hydra? We can’t even hold our own! Look what happened today!”

Lo shook her head.

“I have to, Tony. I have to find him.”

“I can’t take that risk-”

“It’s not your decision to make.”

Her eyes met Tony’s. She saw the stubborn determination in his eyes, but also the fear, too. Fear for her and for her safety.

“He’d do the same for me,” she whispered.

Lo saw Tony’s resolve crack, just a tiny bit. And then his eyes dropped to the dog tags hanging around her neck.

“You’ll need protection,” he finally muttered. 

Lo let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding and nodded her head.

“Well if you’re coming with us,” Sam drawled, “You’re gonna need this.”

He reached behind him and placed a gun on the table.

Bucky’s gun.

Lo felt her heart break again.

The weapon she made, to protect him. Well, she may as well use it to avenge him too.

Lo picked it up, hands shaking. It still felt too big in her arms, and the weapon didn’t flare to life like it did when Bucky picked it up- but she could fix that. She’d just have to add in her own prints, next to Bucky’s.

The dog tags were still a heavy weight around her neck. But the gun was an oddly comforting thing.

“Where do we start?” Lo asked, schooling her face in what she hoped was a scowl that rivalled Bucky’s.

He was still out there. He had to be. And Lo was going to fucking find him and bring him home, even if it was the last thing she’d ever do.

“Bucky’s gonna kill me if you get hurt,” Steve grumbled, but he looked resigned.

“Where do we start?” Lo said, looking at Nat. The widow smiled, just a barely there twitch of the lips.

“Told you you’d be good at this, Mаленького шпиончика.”

_Little spy._

“We start with the camera feed,” Tony said, dragging a hand over his face. He looked genuinely pained.

Lo felt her heart twinge a little, but only barely. She had to do this. Bucky would do it for her.

Lo nodded. She moved the gun under an arm and left the room, heading for the workshop.

~~~~

Tony met her there a few minutes later, after he had cleaned himself up. Lo assumed that’s what the others were doing, as they were nowhere to be seen.

Lo was bent over a workbench. She had just finished adding her prints to Bucky’s gun.

The handle lit up under her palm the next time she picked it up, coming to life under her touch. She’d fired a few practice rounds at a makeshift target in the back of the lab.

It took some getting used to, mainly because of the sheer size of it, but she got it in the end.

“I’m sorry, kid,” Tony said as he approached. Lo felt her heart sink.

“About what?”

“Everything,” he scoffed. “About Barnes. About arguing with you. Just, everything.”

Lo took a deep breath.

“It’s not your fault,” she said.

“Isn’t it?” Tony asked, eyeing her. “I sent us on that mission, after all.”

“You had no idea it was a trap-”

“No, but I should have figured it out. You did.”

Lo looked at him. Really looked at him.

There was a bruise forming on Tony’s cheek. His eyes look tired and defeated. He looked like a man who was beating himself up over something that wasn’t his fault. 

Lo told him as much.

“If it weren’t for me, Barnes would still be here,” Tony argued. Lo felt her chest squeeze painfully.

“If it weren’t for _Hydra_ ,” she corrected. “If it weren’t for _you_ , the team would have all been captured- or worse. You issued that 911 protocol. You made those extra bots for a situation exactly like this. You kept them alive, Tony.”

He looked at her for a moment. His eyes were pained and slightly red around the edges. Lo had never seen him look so vulnerable before.

 _Proof that Tony Stark is a better man than anyone could ever imagine_ , she thought.

He could be a dick, too. But still.

“We’re gonna get him back, kid,” Tony said finally. Lo only nodded her head in response.

They would. They had to. 

~~~~

The rest of the team came filing in a few minutes later, with Steve, Nat and Sam some of the first to arrive.

They all gathered around a table, pouring over the footage Friday had saved of Bucky being captured. Lo still felt sick watching as Bucky shot the guard who would’ve killed Sam, before being outnumbered himself. The dust from the next explosion made it impossible to see what happened next, but one second Bucky was there, fighting, and the next he and the guards around him were gone.

“I don’t understand,” Sam said, rubbing a hand over his face. “People can’t just disappear like that. One person, maybe, but thats like 10 people- and they all just fucking vanished.”

He was right. It genuinely looked like Bucky and the guards had just vanished into thin air. There was too much dust to see where any of them went, and all the other cameras were destroyed by the explosions, so they had no other video feed to explain it.

“Wanda and I searched the whole area after Hydra retreated. We couldn’t find anything- hundreds of guards were gone. The whole place honestly looked abandoned, just as we thought it was before the signal went off,” Steve said, sounding frustrated.

“People can’t just disappear,” Tony argued. “They have to be somewhere.”

“But where? You heard the Captain. We looked, but there is nothing- no secret doors that we could find, no emergency escape planes. They just retreated into the shadows and fucking vanished just as quickly as they appeared,” Sam said.

Each second spent arguing made the dog tags around Lo’s neck feel heavier and heavier. She wasn’t an idiot, she knew the longer they waited, the less likely they’d be able to find Bucky. But she didn’t know what else to do- the footage gave them no answers. All it showed was Bucky being dragged to the ground, and then an explosion and dust covered the screen, and then they were all gone. Seconds later, all the other guards began vanishing too. Disappearing off screen to places they couldn’t be seen, and then vanishing.

Lo felt like screaming in frustration. She dragged a hand through her hair, squeezing Bucky’s tags for comfort.

“We’re gonna find him. We just have to keep looking.”

Steve looked at her, his eyes turning sad with pity. Lo refused to show any emotion.

She just went back to the footage, playing it over, frame by frame, trying to figure out how Hydra had managed to make hundreds of guards disappear without a trace.

~~~~

**BUCKY’S POV**

The asset was strapped to a chair. 

Except he wasn’t the asset- not anymore. He was Bucky now.

But sitting there, with his arms and legs tied down so tight he couldn’t move- Well, it was easy to forget.

“James Barnes,” one of the guards grinned. “Glad to see you’re finally awake.”

His voice was accented. German.

Bucky felt his stomach twist.

“Don’t call me that,” he said, willing his face into neutrality despite his rage. 

“Why? That’s your name, isn’t it? James?” the guard smirked, crossing his arms. There were several others in the room, all wearing the same tactical gear, but none of the others had spoken yet.

Bucky pulled against his restraints, clenching his teeth.

He wasn’t James. Not to them. Not to anyone but _her._

His Lo. She was the only one who could call him that. 

And he’d failed her.

_‘I’ll be back, I promise.’_

The lie burned through his mind like a forest fire.

He’d failed her. He’d failed her. He promised he’d come back to her- _always-_

The guard brought the bottom of his gun down, striking down hard on Bucky’s knee. He threw his head back, gritting his teeth against the pain.

“Answer me, Soldat!”

Bucky bared his teeth, ignoring the guard.

He knew it would cost him. He knew the next hit would be even worse than the last- but he refused to back down.

For decades he had been broken and tortured and abused by these fucking bastards. He’d be damned if he was going to give up now.

Bucky saw the guard clench his teeth, his eyes holding a promise for violence.

“Get the book,” he said.

Bucky felt his blood run cold. They were going to try and turn him back.

One of the guards turned and left the room, presumably to go and retrieve the book containing the trigger words for the Winter Soldier.

And then it clicked, and Bucky had to fight the smirk from creeping onto his face. 

_They didn’t know._ Hydra didn’t know he couldn’t be changed- since Lo, his perfect, beautiful, _genius_ Lo- had removed the programming.

The guard smiled down at him, but there was nothing warm about the gesture. It was twisted and pained- Bucky felt bile rise up his throat.

“Where am I?” he asked, trying to delay the guards with questions.

“London. Deep underground, where your friends will never find you.”

_Underground?_

Bucky kept his face carefully blank.

His memories of the attack were hazy, at best. He remembered getting off the jet with Sam and Steve. He remembered the first bomb going off- and then the second- before they realised it was a trap. He remembered the guard about to shoot Sam, and stopping him before he got the chance, but then there were too many of them- Bucky couldn’t hold them off- they drugged him, he assumed, because there was an explosion and Steve was yelling but he blacked out and hit the ground.

And then he woke up here, in some creepy looking cellar, strapped to a chair with three guards smiling down at him.

The other guard returned, a red book in his hand, with the Hydra logo on the front.

“What do you want with me?” Bucky asked, his head dropping back to the chair.

He had to figure a way out of this. He had to- for Lo, he needed to get out-

“I thought that was obvious,” the guard grinned again.

Bucky didn’t recognise him. He didn’t recognise any of these guards beyond the Hydra logo they were wearing.

“We want our soldier back,” the guard said.

“Why?”

Bucky couldn’t do anything as the guard brought down the handle of his gun once more, striking Bucky’s other knee. He squeezed his eyes shut, refusing to react any further to the pain.

“Don’t speak without permission.”

 _Yes, sir._ The words were on Bucky’s tongue, a force of habit after all these years, but he didn’t say them.

The guard's grin deepened. He took the book from his comrade, turning it over in his hands.

“You know,” he said, in that chillingly familiar accent. “For the earth's mightiest heroes, your friends are very stupid.”

Bucky grit his teeth. “We aren’t the ones who’ve been trying to wake up super soldiers.”

It was true. Bucky couldn't understand why anyone in Hydra would try to wake up the other super soldiers, they knew first hand just how reckless and dangerous they were. It wasn't worth the effort. They were too difficult to control.

The guard frowned. “You still haven’t figured it out, have you?”

Bucky paused.

The guard clicked his tongue before shaking his head, almost disappointingly.

“We were never looking for the other soldiers, Soldat. They’re too violent and difficult to contain. It’s you we were after.”

 _What?_ Bucky felt his brows furrow. _But Munich-_

“Munich was a test,” the guard said, as if reading Bucky’s mind. “As was Berlin, and Moscow, and London. Nothing more than a way to lure you out into the open so we could capture you. We knew you were hiding somewhere with that Captain of yours, but we didn’t know where. So we planted that little list into Shield and started attacking old bases, one by one.”

Bucky felt all the colour drain out of his face.

Wakanda. While he and Steve were hiding in Wakanda, Hydra had been coming up with a plan to lure him out into the open.

“It was all a lie,” Bucky breathed, as he began connecting the dots. “You were never looking for the other super soldiers. You just wanted us to think you were.”

“Indeed,” the guard smiled viciously. “We knew you’d leave your little hiding spot if you thought we were trying to wake up the others. You should’ve known better, of course. Why the hell would we want them- vicious and untrained- when we already have you?”

Bucky clenched his fist, itching to punch the guard straight in the nose. He could name at least 30 different ways he could kill him, right now, he just had to get free first.

Bucky shifted his leg, bracing against the already healing break in his knee, to try and feel for his knives.

They were gone.

He cursed internally, dropping his head back against the chair once more. Of course they took his knives.

“You were the plan all along,” the guard said. Bucky closed his eyes, imagining all the different ways he could break the guards face in, using just his bare hands.

“Why?” Bucky asked instead, trying to keep the guard talking.

The other guards came closer, moving to tighten Bucky’s restraints. He had to fight the urge to bite off the ear of the closest one. Bucky was sure it wouldn’t be worth the punishment, despite how much he wanted to try.

“We want the Winter Soldier,” the first guard smiled, “To kill the Avengers.”

Bucky sighed. Of course they did. He clenched his fist once more, endlessly grateful to Lolita for removing that fucking programming from his brain.

But then another thought hit.

What would they do when they realised the soldier was dead?

Would they kill him? Torture him? Try to wipe his memory and start again?

Bucky felt his blood run cold. 

He couldn’t- wouldn’t- let them get that far. He had to escape.

The guard smiled down at him, as if sensing Bucky’s fear. But it wasn’t fear of turning back into the Winter Soldier- it was fear of what they’d do once they realised they _couldn’t._

“Knock him out,” the guard said, “We’ll move him to New York tonight and start on the transformation tomorrow.”

One of the other guards approached, a large syringe in his hand. Bucky couldn’t do anything to stop it from piercing his skin.

_Shit- Shit-_

_He couldn't forget her, not Lolita. He needed to escape-_

But the room started spinning, and his eyes felt heavy. 

Bucky felt his head drop against the chair and he blacked out.

~~~~


	22. Searching, Science-ing and Shuri

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was originally supposed to go up tomorrow, but after hearing the news about Chadwick, I wanted to post early. 
> 
> Black Panther had such a huge impact on this fic- actually, it was the literal basis for this entire story. Without Wakanda, and without T'Challa, none of this would have ever been possible. Chadwick brought so much to not only the MCU and this fandom, but to the whole world. I hope that wherever he is, he's at peace. 
> 
> For our King, Wakanda Forever.
> 
> -Artemis

“Eat, _Little Spy_ ,” Nat said, handing over a bowl of steaming hot soup.

Lo shook her head, too busy looking at the footage of Bucky. Nat’s mouth thinned into a tight line.

“Eat. You need the strength, or you’ll be useless in the fight.”

Lo’s eyes flicked to her. She knew Nat was right, but she didn’t _want_ to eat. Eating only wasted time they could spend finding Bucky, and they had already done enough of that.

“ _Eat_ ,” Nat said, her voice taking on a new tone. Lo sighed, she knew Nat would force feed her if she had to.

Lo stepped back from the workbench, taking the soup with her.

Nat didn’t stop watching her until she took the first spoonful, nodding in satisfaction.

Tony, Steve and Sam were on the other side of the workshop, trying to figure out how Hydra had managed to disappear so quickly. Rhodey, Clint and Thor were eating, discussing the fight. And Wanda, Vision and Dr. Banner were huddled around a separate table, using the monitors to try and find Bucky.

The whole team was looking for him, and still they had found nothing.

Lo sat down at a separate table, forcing down another spoonful of soup.

Steve’s gaze lifted and caught hers. His mouth twisted into a frown.

She looked down at her bowl, ignoring the set of footsteps that approached. Lo couldn't bare to see Steve look at her with those pitiful blue eyes. Regardless, he stole the seat next to her and sat down.

“How are you holding up, Doc?”

She shrugged, dragging a hand through her messy hair.

Truthfully, she was tired and angry and fucking _frustrated_ \- she was terrified for Bucky and what Hydra might be doing to him, and upset that no matter what she tried, she couldn’t find him. But Lo didn't have the guts to tell Steve any of that, so she just shrugged.

Steve sighed.

“Tony has Friday searching every camera in the country for a facial ID of Bucky. We’re still going over footage, but besides that, all that we can do now is wait and hope that wherever he is, Bucky’s smart enough to get caught by a camera.”

Lo dropped her head into her hands, trying not to fall apart again.

“I can’t lose him, Steve.”

“You won’t. We’re gonna find him, it just takes time.”

He put a hand to her shoulder and squeezed it gently.

“What are they gonna do when they realise they can’t turn him into the Winter Soldier?” she asked, voicing the question that had been eating her up inside.

Steve froze for a moment. “We’ll find him before that happens.”

“Steve-”

“We will.”

But Lo could see the uncertainty in his eyes. Her heart broke even more. _How many times has Steve had to deal with losing his best friend?_

She brought a hand to her shoulder, squeezing the palm Steve had let rest there.

“You’re right,” she said, with more confidence than she felt. “We’re gonna find him. We have to.” _No matter what it takes._

Steve looked at her, letting a little of the vulnerability shine in his eyes. Lo felt her chest squeeze. 

Her life had been completely changed after meeting Bucky. Lo knew, without a doubt, she'd do anything to get him back. She couldn't imagine a life without him anymore. And in that moment, looking into Steve's eyes, she knew he couldn't live without his friend either. Never again.

Lo stood, feeling a new wave of determination wash over her. Last time she masked her fear with a smile, this time she'd take a page out of Bucky's book. She let every trace of uncertainty and tiredness and anxiety fall from her face, and replaced it all with a steely determination.

She finished her bowl of soup and removed Steve's hand from her shoulder, dragging him over to the spot where Tony and Sam were standing.

“Updates?” Lo asked, folding her arms over her chest. Tony just shook his head, running a hand over his face in frustration.

“Nothing,” Sam answered for him.

Lo frowned. There had to be something else they could do. “What haven’t we tried yet?”

“Nothing. We’ve tried _everything_ , and we still aren’t a damn bit closer to finding Barnes than when we started,” Tony answered, letting his frustration show.

Steve’s jaw clenched, refusing to give up. “There has to be _something-_ ”

“There isn’t!” Tony shouted, cutting him off. “Trust me, okay?! I’ve tried _everything_ , fucking everything! Friday's searching every available camera in the continent, Vision's pouring over every piece of footage we have available. Hell, even Wanda is doing some of her weird mind control shit! But it’s not like Barnes is wearing a goddamn GPS, alright? Finding him is going to take time.”

"We don't have time, Tony," Steve said, frowning disappointedly.

"You don't think I know that?!"

Lo was pretty sure they started arguing after that, to the point where Sam had to step in to break it up, but she hardly noticed. Her mind had stopped following them, instead honing in on something Tony had said-

_“It’s not like Barnes is wearing a goddamn GPS.”_

Lo’s gaze drifted across the room, catching on Steve’s shield which was sitting carelessly on a table. The same shield she had built for him in Wakanda, along with the vibranium arm for Bucky, and the implant to stop his Hydra programming.

_The implant._

Lo gasped.

Steve, Sam and Tony all snapped their heads around to look at her.

Bucky might not have a GPS- but he did have an active chip just sitting in his brain, practically waiting to be used again.

“Tony! You’re a genius!” Lo yelled, snatching her datapad.

Tony’s mouth dropped open in shock, before he snapped it closed.

“Well _obviously_ , but uh, what did I do this time?”

“A GPS! The chip we implanted in Bucky’s brain to destroy the Hydra programming! If I can reverse engineer it to give off a signal-”

“-you’ll be able to track it to Bucky’s exact location!” Tony finished, running over to the nearest monitor.

Sam looked at them all in confusion.

“Uh, what?” 

Steve just shook his head. The rest of the team came over, obviously hearing all the yelling.

“I need to call Shuri,” Lo managed to get out. “She has all the details for Bucky’s implant in her lab. I’ll get her to send them over.”

 _This could work. This could actually work._ If Lo was right, there was a way she could interfere with the implant in Bucky's brain- the one she had given him in Wakanda, to stop the Hydra programming- and cause it to give off a traceable signal. She could track him. _She could get him back._ She just needed those blue prints from Shuri.

Tony nodded briefly at her before turning back to his monitors, doing god knows what.

Lo pulled up the contacts on her datapad, scrolling through until she found Shuri. She hit video call. 

“What’s going on?” Wanda asked from somewhere behind Lo.

“Lolita thinks she can turn Bucky into some kind of human GPS, I think,” Sam answered, his tone skeptical.

“Not a human GPS, more like a…homing beacon?” Lo cut in, cringing at her crude explanation. “Basically, I want to take the implant I gave Bucky and get it to give off some kind of traceable signal. Then we can get Friday to track it and lead us to Bucky.”

Wanda’s brows shot up. Vision dipped his head to whisper in her ear, probably to explain the situation a lot bit better than Lo did.

Shuri finally answered the call. Her face was half smushed into a pillow.

“Oh shit, time difference,” Lo belatedly remembered

“Lo?” Shuri asked, blinking at the bright light of her datapad.

“No time to explain! I need the details for Bucky’s chip.”

Shuri looked at the camera incredulously.

“Why?”

“I said no time to explain!”

Shuri only raised her brows at the camera, still looking like she was partly asleep. Lo sighed.

“Bucky’s been taken by Hydra. I think if I can reverse engineer the implant we gave him to transmit a traceable signal, we’ll be able to track him to his exact location.”

That woke Shuri up.

“BUCKY’S BEEN KIDNAPPED?” she shouted.

“YES! Now go get the files for his implant!”

Shuri leapt out of her bed, throwing on some kind of robe, before punching furiously at her kimoyo bracelet.

“I’ve sent it through to you now! Is there anything I can do to help?!”

An incoming file flashed on Lo’s monitor- the details for Bucky’s implant.

“No no that's all, i’ll call you back when I get the chance-”

“Be careful!” Shuri shouted.

“I will, I will! I have to go-”

“Wait! I’m coming to New York-”

What? Lo managed to think, in between her panic and the dangerously growing hope.

“Shuri no! It's dangerous, we can handle this-”

“It’s _Bucky_ ,” Shuri interrupted, shooting Lo a deadly serious look. “I’m not taking any chances. I’ll see you in a couple hours.”

And then the call disconnected.

Lo ran a hand over her face.

T'Challa was going to be so _pissed_. But screw it, if Shuri wanted to come, Lo wasn't going to stop her. Not when Bucky's life was on the line- they needed all the help they could get.

“Did I just hear the princess of Wakanda say she's on her way to New York?” Tony asked.

Lo opened the file Shuri had sent through, familiarising herself with all the details.

“Yup,” she answered, not bothering to elaborate.

Tony shook his head and walked over, looking at the file.

“God help us.”

Lo felt the corners of her mouth twitch up into a smile.

The coding for Bucky’s implant was incredibly complex, it took her a few minutes just to go through everything.

“You made this?” Tony asked, eyes wide.

“Mmhmm,” Lo hummed. “In like 5 hours, too.”

“I’m giving you a raise,” he said, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Good. Now look here,” Lo gestured to a specific code within the design. “The implant is currently active, so all we need to do is cause it to give off a strong electrical signal, which we should be able to trace through Friday.”

“You can do that?” Tony asked, dubiously.

“Of course I can,” Lo answered. “I designed it.”

Tony huffed. “Fair enough, kid. Tell me what you need.”

And _wow_ , Lo had never expected to hear those words coming from Tony Stark.

She enhanced the designs, scattering the codes across various different holograms. 

“Coffee,” Lo answered honestly. “And lots of it.”

She could do this. It was going to take a hell of a lot of science-ing, but she could do it. For Bucky.

Tony told Friday to start a fresh pot of caffeine, and Lo began reverse engineering one of the most complicated implants the world had ever seen.

~~~~ 

Lo spent hours adjusting and readjusting the design, with help from Tony and even a little input from Dr. Banner. It was difficult, because they couldn’t risk messing with the implant too much incase it misfired and did god knows what to Bucky’s brain. But finally, _finally_ , just as Shuri was getting close to New York, Lo was successfully able to program the implant to give off a wave of transmissions so strong that Friday would be able to locate it. Now all they had to do was press a button, and no matter where he was in the world, Bucky’s implant would respond by giving off a signal.

Lo collapsed on her stool, her hands shaking.

“We did it,” she breathed. Tony chuckled from beside her, sounding- dare she say it- a little in awe.

“Usually I would happily take all the credit, but honestly Haynes? this one was all you,” Tony said, patting her on the shoulder.

“It’s done?” Steve piped up, rushing over to them. Lo nodded, hardly able to believe it herself.

“It’s done. Once I press this button, the implant in Bucky’s brain will send out a wave of signals that Friday can trace. We'll find him.”

Steve’s whole body sagged with relief.

“You’re amazing, Lo.”

Lo's face cracked into a genuine smile. The first one she'd had since Bucky left.

“We’re gonna get him back, Cap,” she breathed, finally acknowledging the hope and joy blooming in her chest.

Steve's blue eyes snapped to Lo’s and, if she wasn’t mistaken, turned a little glossy.

“ _Thank you._ ”

Lo understood all the significance behind his words.

The sound of an approaching jet interrupted them, and they looked out the huge glass windows of the compound.

It was smaller and sleeker than the one Shuri and Okoye had used to bring Lo to New York, but just as high tech.

Shuri emerged, wearing traditional armour, Lo noted in surprise. There were shiny new bracelets on her arms, and Lo was willing to bet a whole lot of money that with the click of a button, those bracelets extended into full arm blasters.

Lo ran downstairs to meet her best friend, leaving the rest of the team in the lab.

“Lolita!” Shuri exclaimed as she approached, running over to pull her into a hug. “I saw the news on my way over- I had no idea London was being bombed-”

There was shock and fear in her friends voice, and Lo couldn't help but shake her head, pulling Shuri into a bone crushing hug.

"I know, it's crazy, I can hardly believe everything that's happened-" it was the truth. None of it felt real, but Lo knew better than to wish this was all just some crazy nightmare.

"Hydra- they really took Bucky?" Shuri asked. Lo felt her eyes well with tears, and she nodded, hiding her face in Shuri's shoulder.

Shuri went quiet, resting her hand on Lo's shoulder reassuringly. Lo knew she understood how she was feeling, and the things she couldn't quite voice.

"We''l get him back. I'll burn those Nazi assholes myself."

Lo sniffed, regaining her composure. She was about to get whiplash from the way her emotions had flipped over the last day.

Shuri let her go. "Not if I do it first," Lo promised.

"Have you tracked the implant?"

“Not yet," Lo answered, shaking her head. "I just finished reprogramming it when you arrived.”

Shuri pat her on the shoulder. "Well come on, then. Let's go steal your assassin boyfriend back from the psycho Nazi's."

Shuri's tone was dead serious, but Lo couldn't help but huff out a laugh, shaking her head again. She had never expected to hear that sentence, well, _ever._

Lo turned led Shuri into the Avengers compound, where the team were still waiting upstairs.

“Everyone, this is Shuri,” Lo said, introducing her briefly. Shuri nodded politely at everyone.

Steve came over first, holding out a hand for Shuri to shake. Shuri just rolled her eyes and pulled him into a hug. 

Steve chuckled in surprise, his eyes lighting up for the first time since Bucky was taken. 

“How ya doin’, Shuri? I’m surprised T’Challa let you come here," Steve said. Shuri groaned in exasperation.

“It took a lot of convincing, _trust me_ , but he eventually let me go. Probably because I threatened to shoot him with one of my blasters, but that’s not important.”

Steve laughed, clapping her gently on the shoulder. “I’m just glad you could make it.”

So was Lo, actually. 

“Come on,” she said, pulling Shuri over to her monitor. “The sooner we do this, the sooner we get Bucky.”

That seemed to get everyone moving again. 

Shuri followed Lo, looking at the design changes she had made to Bucky's implant. 

“You think it’ll work?” Lo asked.

"I do. The implant should transmit a signal strong enough to be found anywhere in the world, but it won't affect him otherwise."

Lo let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"Told you, kid. You did it," Tony said, speaking up for the first time since Shuri arrived.

The princess looked over him, her face impassive. "Stark."

“Princess,” Tony replied, even more judgmental than Shuri. Lo rolled her eyes.

"Not the time for a battle of the geniuses, people. Friday, are you ready? I need you to start scanning as soon as we begin transmission," Lo said. The A.I replied instantly.

“Yes, Doctor.”

Lo took a deep breath, lifting her shaking hand.

_Please work, please work, please-_

Lo pressed the button.

The screen flashed as it activated, connecting to Bucky’s implant and flaring to life. Something on screen started pulsing, and Lo felt her breath hitch.

Bucky was alive. The implant was transmitting.

“It’s working,” she breathed.

The rest of the team gathered in close around her, watching as the implant signal pulsed on screen and Friday began scanning.

Lo brought up a world map, waiting.

“Anything yet, Friday?” she asked.

The screen flashed for a few more seconds.

“Noth-" Friday replied, and then paused. "Wait, Yes, Doctor, we have a hit-”

Lo gasped for breath, trying to contain the relief she felt. They didn't have Bucky yet. She couldn't let herself get too excited.

“Bring it up,” Tony told Friday, looking intently at the map.

Suddenly, a red dot appeared on the map, right-

Lo furrowed her brows in confusion. Tony zoomed in on the map.

The red dot continued flashing, getting bigger and bigger as Tony zoomed in.

Lo felt the room take in a collective breath.

“That’s-” Steve said, but Tony cut him off.

“New York.” He turned to look at Lo, surprise all over his face. “Barnes is in NYC.”

Lo shook her head, unable to understand it.

“What the hell?” Clint said. “You mean they moved him from London to New York in a matter of hours? Without any of us knowing? _How?_ ”

Lo felt his shock and confusion echo through her.

"I don't know. But according to the implant, Bucky's in New York," she breathed.

“Why?” Wanda asked, her face twisting in confusion.

The room was silent for a moment, everyone wondering why Hydra had moved their greatest asset to New York- so close to the Avengers. So close to _home_.

Their questions were answered a moment later by Natasha.

“Because that’s where we are,” Nat said, her mouth twisting into a tense line. “They brought him here for us. To activate the Winter Soldier and use him to take out their biggest threat-”

"The Avengers," Tony finished. "Shit. Okay. Friday, see if you can get me a more precise location on Barnes. I want to know _exactly_ where they're hiding him."

Tony turned to look around the room, his eyes lingering on Lo. "For the rest of you, it's time to suit up. We have a location, now let’s go get our soldier back.”

Lo's hands shook, and she turned to face the monitor once more.

The red light shined bright and constant. _Bucky_.

Lo took a deep breath, focusing on that tiny bit of hope in her chest.

_I’m coming for you, Bucky. I'm coming._

~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this update. This next chapter is going to be my longest yet, so stay tuned.
> 
> As always, let me know what you thought in the comments below!


	23. Let's Go Kick Some Hydra Ass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this has to be my biggest chapter yet! It's a little bit rushed but hopefully there isn't too many mistakes. We only have two more chapters to go after this one, plus the epilogue. I can't believe it's so close to the end!
> 
> Enjoy!

Apparently, when Tony told Lo she’d need protection, he wasn’t messing around.

Lo didn’t even know when he had time to make it, or if he’d had it all along. But as the rest of the team left the workshop to suit up once again, Tony handed Lo a bracelet.

“Double tap to activate,” was all he said. Lo’s brows shot up.

“Um, okay?”

She put the bracelet on her wrist regardless, because she wasn’t stupid enough to reject a gift from Tony stark, and grabbed Bucky’s gun.

“What is that?” Shuri asked as Lo approached. She was eyeing her wrist suspiciously.

“No idea,” Lo answered honestly. “I’m guessing it's some kind of protective wear. I just hope it's not red and gold.”

"If it's from Stark, I think you can guarantee it's going to be red and gold. So outdated," Shuri joked, adjusting the sleek black bracelets on her own wrists for emphasis.

“New blasters?” Lo asked. Shuri nodded.

“Much better than my last ones. Is that the gun you made for Bucky?”

Lo looked down at the huge weapon in her hands. She still couldn’t believe she was doing this.

Lo got a sudden flashback to her time in a war camp in Syria, huddled over injured men, trying desperately to piece them back together with bandages and not enough morphine.

How her life had changed since then.

“Yeah,” Lo said, her hand tightening on the gun. The kind of thing she tried so hard to save people from, and now she was about to use it.

She should feel more guilty, but she didn’t.

Those were innocent people she was trying to save. Now she was fighting Hydra, and they were anything but innocent.

Bucky’s dog tags were a warm weight around her neck. Not burning, like they were before, but warm and comforting.

“It’s impressive,” Shuri said, gesturing to Bucky’s gun. “After we get Bucky back, you’ll have to show me how you made it.”

 _After we get Bucky back_. Because they would get him back. Lo wouldn’t settle for anything less.

“I will,” Lo smiled. “Now come on, it’s time to go.”

Shuri followed Lo out of the workshop and to the front of the compound, where the rest of the team were assembled. The same jet from earlier was sitting beside Shuri’s. Clint was standing closest to her, and, Lo noted in surprise, he had ditched his crutches.

“I thought you still had one more day?” she asked as they arrived. Clint winked at her, adjusting the hearing aid in his ear.

“Eh, close enough. Besides, I wanted to try out this brand new bow,” he gestured to the weapon in his hands. It was the one Lo had designed for him.

She raised a brow. “I sure hope it works, because now would be a really bad time to find out otherwise.”

“It’ll work,” he said. “I did a couple practice shots before.”

Nat called something from behind Clint's shoulder, and the archer walked over to see what she needed. Lo frowned as he walked away, noting the slight limp in his step.

Tony approached, interrupting her brooding. “Time to suit up, kid,” he said, the mask of his suit falling over his face. Lo took a deep breath, steeling herself.

She tapped twice on the bracelet.

Red and gold metal shot out across her wrist, covering her arm and spreading across her entire body. It stopped at her wrist and collar, leaving her hands and face bare, but covered her shoes.

It was a tactical suit, similar to Natasha’s black one, but in a deep red and gold. The material appeared to be bulletproof.

Lo felt her brows shoot up. She looked at Shuri, who was trying not to laugh.

“Well, I hate it, but at least you'll be protected,” Shuri said, ignoring Tony's scoff.

Lo rolled her eyes, turning to Tony with a smile.

"You couldn't have made it...more covert?"

"You insulting my work, Haynes? I'll take it back if you are."

Lo chuckled, shaking her head. “No, it's good, thanks, Stark.”

“Don’t mention it. Seriously. Or else everyone else will want one too.”

Lo kind of doubted that. None of the other spy ex-assassins would be caught dead walking into battle in anything other than black. But Lo appreciated the gift nonetheless.

Tony turned and climbed onto the jet. “Come on, people. We’ve got Nazi’s to maim.”

The rest of the team followed, but Steve walked towards Lo, lingering at her side.

“You sure you want to do this, Doc?”

He was still clearly hesitant about letting her go on the mission, but Lo ignored his worry.

“For Bucky,” she said. Steve looked at her, his gaze searching, before he reluctantly nodded.

Shuri and Lo followed him onto the plane, sitting on the row of seats on the far side.

“Tony has Bucky’s exact location, so he and the others are going to go in first. You, me and Shuri will go in after that. Sam and Rhodey are gonna keep watch from above,” Steve said, explaining their plan of action.

“You aren’t going with Tony?” Lo asked in surprise. Steve always led from the front, it didn’t make sense for him to wait behind with her. But Steve just shook his head.

“I’m sticking with you, to keep you covered. Bucky will kill me if you get hurt.”

Lo let out a breath of air that might’ve been considered a laugh.

“Alright,” she agreed.

Sam grinned at her from across the jet, the pack for his wings peeking over his shoulders.

“New wings?” she asked.

“Kind of, these are a backup pair. It’s a shame the other ones got burned up, they were damn cool.”

“I’ll make you some new ones,” Lo promised. Sam raised a brow.

“I’ll hold you to that.”

Tony walked out of the cockpit and into the main body of the jet.

“Alright, we’re 2 minutes out from Barnes’ position. Remember, we don’t know what we’re walking into here so I need everyone on high alert. Get in there, get Barnes, and get out. Oh, and try not to break too much. All surrounding civilians have been cleared out, but London was bad enough, let’s not break any more unnecessary buildings.”

He turned and looked out the front of the jet.

“Alright, point break. You, me and Rhodes are up first.”

Tony walked to the back of the plane. Rhodey and Thor jumped up behind him.

Clint flicked a switch from the front, and the ramp opened up. The three of them jumped out of the jet.

Lo felt her breath hitch. _Shit, she was really doing this._

“I’m landing us now,” Clint said. 

The rest of the team stood up, getting ready for landing. Lo followed shakily.

Clint landed with a soft thud, the ramp still open, and Wanda, Vision, Bruce, Nat and Clint ran out of the jet.

Steve turned to nod at Sam.

“I’ll let you know if I see anything,” Sam said, pointing to his ear piece, before flying out of the jet.

Steve handed an ear piece to Lo, and one to Shuri.

“Press on it when you need to speak.”

Lo wiggled it into her ear before adjusting her grip on Bucky’s weapon. She felt her heart pounding in her chest. 

_You can do this. You can do this. For Bucky._

“Ready?” Steve said, looking at her. Lo steeled herself, nodding her head.

“Ready.”

“Ready,” Shuri nodded, and then smiled. “Let’s go kick some Hydra ass.”

Steve shook his head with a chuckle.

“Stay close,” he threw back over his shoulder, pulling the shield off his back and strapping it to his arm.

They left the jet, running in the direction Sam and the others had gone.

It took a minute for them to reach the fight, but once they did, it was pure chaos.

Hydra were hiding in some huge abandoned warehouse. There were guards and jeeps everywhere, and already bullets zipping through the air. The hulk was roaring and smashing his way through some of the jeeps, and several small explosions rang through the air- strong enough to make the ground shake. Clint was nowhere to be seen, probably hiding somewhere in the trees, while the rest of the team were fighting on the ground.

Tony’s voice came through the ear piece. Lo looked up to see him flying above the warehouse, firing down on it.

“I think they’ve got Barnes inside somewhere!” he said. “The trace leads here, but I can’t get a visual!”

Lo watched anxiously as several Hydra guards pointed their guns at him, firing as he shot through the sky. Tony had to duck and weave to avoid getting shot.

“We’ll clear a path on the ground. Steve, you there?” Nat asked.

“Copy,” Steve answered. “If you can get us in, we’ll take it from there.”

“On it.”

Shuri and Lo followed Steve, keeping to the edges of the battle where they couldn’t be seen.

Nat was about a hundred metres ahead with Thor and Vision, right in the centre of the fight, taking down Hydra guards left right and centre. They began moving closer to the warehouse, trying to clear a path for Shuri, Lo and Steve to get safely inside.

Lighting struck, sending a handful of guards flying back, followed by a boom of thunder. Red blasts of power shook the ground as Wanda took down even more guards than Thor. And then there was a scream of pure rage, as the hulk went rampaging past.

Lo looked up to see Sam and Rhodey flying through the air, covering for Tony by taking out some stray guards on the ground.

A yellow beam shot through the densest area of guards, taking them all down. Vision turned his head and nodded at Steve.

“That’s our cue,” Steve answered, running down towards Nat, Thor and Vision. Lo and Shuri took off after him.

“Quickly, Cap. There's more of them coming,” Nat said.

Steve picked up pace, Lo and Shuri struggling to keep up behind him. He held up the shield as more Hydra guards appeared from the warehouse and began firing. Lo lifted Bucky’s gun, switching to the short range scope, and fired back.

She hit two guards, right in the chest.

Shuri lifted her blasters and began firing bright blue beams, striking each guard and knocking them back.

Steve threw them an incredulous look over his shoulder.

“I thought I was supposed to be covering you two?”

Shuri just grinned and fired again.

More and more Hydra guards poured out of the warehouse. Lo couldn’t see where they were coming from, but every time she turned back it looked like there were twice as many as before. There had to be over a hundred now.

She clenched her teeth. They needed to find Bucky, before Hydra _really_ started to outnumber them.

Steve kept running, with Shuri and Lo hot on his tail. They finally got to Nat’s position in the centre of the battlefield.

“Careful,” Nat said, before they had the chance to run past her. “They’re coming from somewhere inside the warehouse. We’ll go ahead to clear a path. Stay close behind.”

Steve nodded, looking over his shoulder at Shuri and Lo to make sure they understood. 

“ _Little spy,_ ” Nat nodded to Lo, the ghost of a smile on her lips, before turning and running towards the warehouse.

Vision and Thor came in closer, flanking her on either side, and began concentrating their firepower on the main entrance to the warehouse.

Lo kept her gun ready, checking for any guards that were hiding elsewhere.

Her red and gold suit hugged her like a second skin, shining under the direct sun. She couldn’t help but curse Tony for making her stand out like a damn torch.

Steve took off after Nat and the others, keeping close, as did Lo and Shuri. They started getting closer, slowly making their way to the main door.

A bullet went flying past Lo’s head and she spun, automatically dropping to her knee and aiming in the direction of the bullet. But Shuri was even faster. She had her blaster raised and firing in under a second, taking out the guard that had shot at Lo.

Lo looked at her and nodded briefly in thanks. Shuri only smiled. If Lo didn’t know any better, she’d think Shuri was actually enjoying this.

“Keep moving,” Steve said, throwing his shield at another guard and catching it as it came rebounding back.

“Uh guys, we have a bit of a situation here-” Sam cut off.

Lo looked up to see a jeep, filled with Hydra guards and- _oh shit_ \- a giant gun on the front, chasing after Sam.

“I’m held up,” Clint grunted, from wherever he was hiding.

Lo turned around to see Nat, Vision and Thor still focused on getting them a clear path into the warehouse. _Shit._

Rhodey and Tony were equally held up, and Lo couldn’t see Wanda or Bruce anywhere. Nobody was available to help Sam, and the jeep was quickly catching up to him. 

Lo didn't hesitate to put a hand to her ear piece.

“On my way,” she said.

Steve whipped his head around to look at her.

“No! Wait!”

But Lo had already taken off.

She kept Bucky’s gun to her face, tracking the Hydra jeep through the scope. It looked like there were at least six guards on board, with one driver and one aiming the huge machine gun on the front.

Lo was able to get to one of the abandoned jeeps and drop for cover. She took a deep breath, in and out, before peeking over the hood of the jeep and taking aim.

Sam was still sweeping through the air, narrowly avoiding the bullets aimed at him. Lo flicked to the long range scope. She needed to take out the driver so the jeep would stop moving, and then get rid of that machine gun.

She lined up the shot, taking a breath in, and aimed for the driver.

She exhaled and pulled the trigger.

A quiet bang filled her ears, the suppressor muffling most of the gunshot, and the driver immediately slumped forward, his head hitting the steering wheel. But- oh shit- his foot must have pressed on the accelerator because the jeep was now driving at full speed towards-

The warehouse.

Lo cursed. Not her original plan, but this could work.

She brought a hand to her earpiece. “Cap you’ve got incoming!”

Steve spun around, swearing as he spotted the incoming jeep, driving full speed towards his current position. He grabbed Shuri around the waist and hurled them both out of the way.

The jeep went speeding past. The guards inside were screaming and shouting, obviously seeing that they were about to crash into the warehouse. One tried to jump out, but in less than a second, Steve threw his shield and knocked the guard out cold.

“Nat behind you!” Steve called over the ear piece. Nat, Thor and Vision turned in time to see the approaching Jeep and leapt out of the way.

The jeep went crashing into the main doors of the warehouse, exploding on impact and leaving a huge, burning hole in its wake.

Lo got out from behind her cover and ran over to Steve.

“Well, that works,” Nat said sarcastically, running towards the new whole in the warehouse wall.

“Thanks, Haynes! I owe you one!” Sam called over the ear piece. Lo looked up to see him swoop past her with a wink.

Steve turned as she approached, looking at her incredulously.

“I thought I told you to stick with me?!”

“You were busy,” Lo said.

Shuri grinned at her. “THAT WAS SO AWESOME!” 

Lo laughed, about to reply, but Nat’s voice cut her off.

“Move in!” she said.

Lo looked over to see Nat duck into the warehouse, Thor and Vision right behind her.

Lo heard screams and the sounds of multiple guns going off from inside. Steve crept up behind the jeep Lo took down, using it for cover. She tried not to look at the guards that were still inside, most of them dead.

It was necessary, she reminded herself. If she hadn’t taken them down, they would’ve easily killed Sam. But still, guilt gnawed uncomfortably at her stomach.

From their position of cover, they were able to see into the warehouse. It was huge and mostly empty besides the hundreds of Hydra guards inside. _Hundreds_.

“Where did they come from?!” Shuri exclaimed, voicing Lo's questions.

It didn’t make any sense. When they first arrived there were hardly any guards, but now there were hundreds. No planes had landed since they’d arrived, so she had no idea where they were all coming from.

Lightning struck in the centre of the warehouse, and Lo saw Thor raise his hammer in the air before smashing it into the ground, sending a bunch of Hydra guards flying.

Vision flew up into the air next, taking out more guards with the stone on his forehead.

“We’ve got them distracted, go find Barnes!” Nat called, shooting down a few guards of her own.

“Copy,” Steve replied. 

He ducked into the warehouse, with Lo and Shuri following close behind.

“See if you can find him!” Steve called over his shoulder.

Lo brought the gun to her face, scanning the area. She shot one guard that was getting a little too close to Nat. The redhead spun around and gave Lo a grateful look, before getting back to work.

Lo scanned the rest of the floor, and even the rafters above, trying to see if there was anywhere they could be hiding Bucky.

“I’ve got nothing,” Shuri said.

“Neither,” Lo echoed.

Steve ducked, hurling his shield at a nearby guard. 

“Tony?” Steve said through the earpiece. “Are you sure the trace leads here?”

“You’re literally standing right on top of it!” Tony replied.

“Well he’s not here!” Steve yelled, letting some of the frustration leak into his voice. “And we need to move now! More Hydra guards keep pouring in, and I can’t figure out where they’re coming from!”

It was true. Since they’d entered the warehouse, even more guards had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. Lo felt her brows furrow.

“Say that again,” she said.

“What?” Steve said, turning to look at her.

“No- no, Tony, say that again,” Lo said, putting a hand on her earpiece.

“I said you’re right on top of the mark!” Tony yelled. 

A second later he came crashing through the ceiling, firing down on the Hydra guards.

Lo looked down at the ground.

_‘You’re standing right on top of it.’_

Lo felt her mouth drop open. That’s where Hydra were coming from. That’s how they were able to disappear without a trace in London. They were hiding underground.

“What is it?!” Steve yelled, trying to be heard over all the shooting. Lo looked up at him.

She pointed at the ground.

“They’re coming from underground,” she breathed. 

Steve looked at her incredulously, before his gaze dropped to the dirt floor of the Warehouse.

“Are you sure?”

“This is where the tracking leads. It explains where all the guards have been coming from.”

Steve held her gaze for another second.

“Okay. How do we get in?”

Shuri shouldered past him, blasters raised, and started shooting at the ground.

Well, that’s one way to do it.

Lo raised her own gun, firing down at the same area as Shuri.

“Uh, guys?” Tony called over the ear piece. “Is there a reason we’re suddenly shooting dirt now?”

“Lo thinks they’re underground,” Steve answered.

“Underground?!” Tony asked incredulously. And then- _“-Oh shit, she’s right.”_

He came flying over, landing on the ground with a dull thud.

Tony lifted his hands and aimed his blasters at the same spot as Lo and Shuri. Two beams of light came firing out of his palms. 

For a moment, nothing happened. Lo felt a tiny bit of uncertainty creeping into her chest.

And then, suddenly-

The floor caved in with a huge crash.

The fighting around them seemed to cease for a moment. Lo looked over her shoulder to see Nat and the team looking at her in surprise.

One of the Hydra guards started swearing and yelling, something German along the lines of “Stop them!”

The rest of the guards surged forward. Nat swore, opening fire to try and slow them down.

Lo looked back at the ground that had now caved in. 

It went down at least 10 feet, revealing a room that looked like it was decorated in the 1950’s. Which, Lo realised, it probably was.

There was a roar. Lo turned back to see the hulk come bursting into the warehouse.

The guards turned on him, opening fire. The hulk roared again, leaping into the air and landing on a group of them, his fist on the ground.

It was the distraction they needed. 

Lo turned back to the hole in the ground and jumped in, bracing her knees for the 10 foot drop. Steve and Shuri were close behind her.

“We have to hurry,” Steve said. “The hulk won’t keep them distracted for long.”

Lo looked up to see Tony standing over the edge, looking down at them.

“I’ll buy you some time. Go get Barnes.”

His thrusters went off and he shot into the air, disappearing from sight.

“Come on,” Shuri said, getting Lo’s attention.

She looked around once more. There was dirt and dust all over the floor, and what looked like a desk pressed up against a far wall, with maps all around it. There were also two tunnels, one on either side of the room.

“Which way?” Lo asked.

“We split up,” Shuri said.

“Like hell,” Steve cut her off. Shuri sent him a disapproving look. “Tony, which way to Barnes?”

Tony’s reply came through the earpiece.

“He’s north of your current location.”

Steve nodded, heading for the far tunnel. Lo had no idea how he just knew which direction north was.

“Stay behind me,” Steve said, shouting to be heard over the chaos above ground.

He stepped into the tunnel, shield raised up high.

There were creepy old lights above them, ones that reminded Lo of old abandoned hospitals, flickering every few seconds.

Steve crept further into the tunnel, listening out for the sounds of oncoming guards. It was hard to distinguish between the noises underground and the fighting from above. But, Lo guessed, with Steves super hearing it was probably easy.

Lo brought the gun up to her face so she could look through the scope. Steve picked up pace.

“These tunnels are ancient,” Shuri said in surprise. 

“They’ve probably been here since the 40’s,” Steve replied.

“And no one ever knew about them?” Shuri asked. Steve shook his head.

“It explains how Hydra was able to disappear so quickly in London,” Lo said. “They probably have tunnels just like this over there.”

“And where they’ve been coming from. Who knows how many guards they have hiding down here?”

Lo tightened her grip on the gun.

So far they hadn’t heard or seen anyone else in the tunnels, but she didn’t expect it to stay that way for long.

“You’re getting close,” Tony said over the ear piece. “Go right up ahead.”

Sure enough, the tunnel they were in came to a fork. Each side was just as creepy and old looking as the tunnel behind them.

Steve gripped his shield tighter, heading down the right tunnel.

Footsteps came thundering towards them.

Lo swore, switching to the heat vision scope so she could see better.

Steve held out a hand, keeping Shuri and Lo behind him.

The footsteps got closer, and a second later-

“die Scheiße!” 

_Shit!_ Lo translated automatically.

Bullets came firing towards them. Lo ducked, opening fire in return.

There were at least eight guards up ahead. Lo took down the first three, while Steve was busy trying to cover them with his shield. Shuri took down the rest with her blasters.

Lo breathed heavily, gasping air into her lungs.

“Quickly, we need to keep moving,” Steve said, running forwards. 

Shuri and Lo followed close behind him, sprinting down the tunnel. Lo felt her heart pounding in her chest.

The tunnel curved, leading into what Lo assumed was another room.

There were voices coming from the other side, shouting and cursing. Lo couldn’t make out what they were saying, but it sounded like a lot of people.

Steve swore, coming to a stop just before the room. He looked at Lo seriously.

“Shuri and I will hold them off while you go get Bucky.”

“What?!” Lo exclaimed. “No! I’m not leaving you-”

“That wasn’t a request,” Steve said. His jaw clenched. “Just go find Bucky, we’ll buy you some time.”

“Steve-”

But Steve spun, entering the room with his shield held high. 

Shuri dashed behind him, raising her blasters and taking aim at the many guards in front of them. 

Lo looked around the room, her stomach sinking. It looked like a medical lab. There were tables and syringes filled with god knows what, and guards, so many guards-

“Now, Lo!” Steve shouted.

Lo cursed, forcing herself to duck into the room. She looked around once more, and spotted a heavy looking door at the far side of the room. That had to be where they were keeping Bucky.

Steve and Shuri managed to keep the attention of the guards, blue blasts and bullets flying through the air.

Lo ducked, keeping close to the ground, and ran to the door.

One of the guards spotted her before Lo had the chance to react. He raised his gun and fired.

Lo gasped, feeling the bullet hit her ribs. She lifted Bucky’s gun and shot the guard straight in the chest.

He dropped to the floor.

Lo kept moving, glancing down at her side briefly. The suit was scratched, but otherwise the bullet had bounced right off her. Lo sent up a tiny prayer of thanks to Tony.

She yanked the heavy metal, wincing as it screeched and dragged across the floor. Thankfully, the room behind her was so loud that no one else noticed her.

Lo looked around the room, another medical lab, and her chest tightened even further.

Outside was nothing compared to this.

These walls were made of concrete and covered in- _oh god_ \- blood. There were metal stretchers and tables everywhere, littered with all kinds of torturous looking machines. And there was a huge chair in the centre, and on it was-

“Bucky!” Lo yelled, rushing over to him.

He was shirtless and unconscious, strapped into the chair with thick looking belts.

Lo immediately started undoing them, throwing her gun on a nearby bench.

Bucky was pale and covered and dirt and grime. His chest was bruised and splattered in thick dry blood. Lo gasped, blinking furiously to try and get rid of the tears that were clouding her vision.

He didn't appear to be bleeding any more- he had to be okay- he had to.

“Bucky?” she asked again, undoing the last of the straps and holding his face with trembling hands. He was still ghostly pale.

Lo lifted one of his eyelids, checking his pupils. It looked like he had been sedated.

She searched the room, trying to figure out what they had injected him with, while the shooting from outside got impossibly louder.

Shit, shit, she didn’t have enough time.

“I’m sorry, Bucky,” Lo whispered. This better work-

She pulled an arm back and punched him straight in the face.

Bucky immediately surged forward and Lo tripped, falling to the ground.

He whipped his head town to her, eyebrows furrowing in confusion, before-

“Lo?” Bucky husked

“Bucky!” she yelled, jumping up to yank him into a hug. “Oh my god Bucky, Bucky, you’re okay-”

He wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his head in her neck. Lo felt the tears stream down her cheeks.

“I thought I lost you, they took you and we couldn’t find you, I’m sorry-”

“Shh, shh,” Bucky said, pulling back to wipe her cheeks. His blue eyes met hers, bruised and wary, but _alive_.

God she had missed those eyes.

“I’m okay, I promise, i’m okay.”

She couldn’t help it. All the panic and the fear and the stress of the past day caught up to her. Lo surged forward, putting her hands on either side of his pale cheeks and kissed him.

Bucky kissed her back just as fiercely, his arms tightening around her waist.

Lo couldn’t stop crying. Bucky pulled back to wipe at her cheeks once more.

“What’s happening?” he asked, looking towards the half closed door. The fighting had gone quiet, all of a sudden.

Lo didn’t hesitate. She grabbed Bucky’s gun from the table and aimed it at the door.

Steve and Shuri came stumbling in, and Lo sighed in relief.

“Bucky!” Steve shouted, running over to Bucky.

Bucky managed to stand from the chair, albeit a little shakily, and wrapped his arms around Steve, patting him on the shoulder.

“I’m alright, pal,” he rasped. “What’s happening?”

“Hydra took you during the fight in London. We tried, but we couldn’t find you anywhere. And then Lo was able to track your implant-” Bucky's brows shot up at that, and he looked at Lo. “-to an old warehouse in New York. The teams outside now, fighting off Hydra,” Steve answered.

“They tried to turn me back into the Winter Soldier,” Bucky replied. Lo felt her stomach twist. “They moved me to NYC, hoping to find a way to change me back and use me to take down the Avengers. But the trigger words didn’t work. They knocked me out, I think they were going to try and wipe my memory before you lot showed up.”

Lo felt all the breath leave her body.

Hydra were going to wipe Bucky’s memory. He would have forgotten her.

Steve pressed a hand to his ear piece.

“We’ve got Bucky,” he said.

Tony’s voice came over the ear piece a second later.

“Good. Now get up here. Rhodey took a heavy hit and Sam’s not looking much better.”

“Copy that,” Steve replied. He gave Bucky a thorough once over.

“I’m good,” Bucky said. Lo felt doubtful. She wanted to give him a thorough check for any injuries, but they didn't have time. 

Steve nodded once, deciding to trust him. “Alright, let’s move.”

Steve and Shuri left the room first, with Lo and Bucky close behind. Bucky gave her a once over, as if just noticing what she was wearing.

“I leave for a few hours, and what? You turn into some kinda...superhero?” his voice was still raspy and sounded painful, but his comment brought a smile to her face.

“Apparently,” Lo answered.

Bucky’s gaze dropped to the weapon in her hands. He raised a brow.

“Is that my gun?” 

She looked at him sheepishly. “It’s a nice gun.” 

Bucky rolled his eyes, but she could see the ghost of a smile on his lips.

Lo could barely contain her relief. Bucky was _alive_ , he was okay and smiling and _alive._

He followed Lo to the next room, where Steve and Shuri were waiting.

“You shouldn’t even be here,” Bucky said. “I thought Steve knew better than to let you come.”

“I tried!” the captain argued.

“Clearly not hard enough, punk.”

Steve rolled his eyes.

Lo took in the mess of the room. There were guards all over the floor, some unconscious and some, well, no longer breathing.

Lo reminded herself that they didn’t have a choice. Hydra would have easily killed any of them without a second thought. 

Bucky pressed a hand to her lower back. She turned to look at him.

“It’s alright, doll,” Bucky said. She knew he was trying to comfort her.

Lo nodded at him, adjusting the grip on her gun.

Bucky leaned down, taking a few weapons and extra rounds of ammo from the guards. He nodded over at Steve. “Let’s go.”

Steve nodded back, leading them all back down the tunnels and towards the warehouse.

“Did you have any idea these even existed?” Steve asked, gesturing to the tunnels around them. Bucky shook his head.

“Not a clue. But they had ones just like this in London. It must be how Hydra have been able to move undetected for so long.”

Lo heard shooting, and figured they were getting close to Tony by now.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, they reached the room with the ceiling caved in. 

Steve ran through, offering his arm to boost Shuri up. She took it, using his shoulders for support, and climbed out of the room. Steve turned to Lo next, offering his arm again.

She put a hand on his shoulder and he pushed her up. Shuri caught her hand and helped her to the top.

Steve and Bucky just jumped the 10 feet gap like it was nothing. Lo fought the urge to roll her eyes.

Above ground was even more chaotic than when they had left.

The Hydra numbers had dwindled by about half, some retreating and others lying on the ground unconscious.

Tony was standing over Rhodey, firing from his blasters while Rhodey clutched his bleeding knee. Nat, Thor and Wanda were on the far side of the room, taking down guards of their own. Clint was nowhere to be seen, nor was the Hulk, and Vision was on his way to Sam, who looked like he was about to be overwhelmed by guards.

Steve took off towards Sam, throwing his shield at a nearby guard and catching it as it rebounded.

Another guard turned, seeing Steve, and ran at him. The two of them got caught in hand to hand combat.

“Help Sam!” Steve shouted.

Lo spun, raising her gun.

Shuri ran first, firing her blasters at any nearby guards. Lo and Bucky took off after her.

Bucky had a pistol in each hand, shooting down guards with deadly efficiency. Lo switched back to the short ranged scope, reloaded, and began doing the same.

Sam was on the ground, bleeding from a wound in his side. He still had a gun raised, trying to take down guards while avoiding getting shot himself.

Vision arrived at his side a second later, sending a beam of blinding yellow light at the Hydra guards in front of him.

Shuri just kept shooting, so Lo followed suit.

Bucky pulled the trigger on one of his pistols, cursing when it stopped firing. He dropped down to a nearby guard and picked up his gun. This one was an automatic rifle.

Bucky raised the gun to his face, shooting again before reloading.

His eyes flicked to Lo’s in between rounds and he winked.

Lo shook her head, refusing to think about it, and brought the scope of the gun back to eye level.

Thankfully, with the help of Shuri, Lo, and Bucky, the Hydra guards were falling like flies. Barely a handful stood between them and Sam now.

One of the guards raised his gun, aiming at Vision. Lo fired, a clean shot through the chest.

Bucky took down the next two, and Vision got the others.

Sam let out a low whistle as they approached, taking advantage of the momentary lack of guards.

“That’s the second time i’ve saved your ass today, Wilson,” Bucky quipped. Sam grinned.

“Don’t remind me. Your girlfriend saved my ass earlier, too.”

Bucky turned to Lo, giving her a look.

Lo just shrugged, feigning innocence.

“It was fucking cool. She blew up a jeep!” Shuri exclaimed.

Lo spun, begging Shuri to stop talking.

“You what?!” Bucky shouted.

_Ah, shit._

“It was nothing. I’ll tell you later, come on.”

She turned, running towards Tony and the others.

“Oh, we’re finishing this conversation,” Bucky replied.

Lo pretended to ignore him. 

Tony was still standing over Rhodey, who was trying to put pressure on his knee. It looked like he’d been hit by some kind of grenade.

Lo swore, assessing the situation around them.

Tony had managed to take down most of the guards, but there were still a few around. Not too many for Shuri and Bucky to handle, though. 

Lo thrust her gun into Bucky’s hands. He looked at her in confusion.

“Cover for me!” Lo yelled, running over to Rhodey.

Bucky swore, dropping the other gun and using the one Lo gave him to clear a path.

“Haynes!” Tony called once he saw her coming. She ignored him, running straight to Rhodey.

She dropped to her knees, replacing Rhodey's hands with her own. It was difficult to try and access his wound through the war machine suit, but she made do.

“What happened?!”

“One of the guards had a grenade launcher. It got me straight in the leg.”

Lo quickly checked over the rest of his body, looking for injuries. Thankfully, the suit seemed to have taken most of the damage.

“I haven’t got any supplies with me. We need to get you to a hospital,” Lo said.

“No time,” Tony argued, firing at more guards. “There’s some stuff on the ship, we just need to get him there.”

“Can you carry him?”

“Not with all these guards.”

Lo double tapped on her bracelet. Tony yelled at her, but she ignored it.

The protective suit disappeared, and Lo was once again in her normal clothes. She tore off half her shirt, tying it around Rhodey’s leg to try and stop the bleeding.

“Haynes put the fucking suit back on before you get shot!” 

Lo rolled her eyes but double tapped her bracelet, letting the suit replace her normal clothes once more.

“He’s bleeding out, Tony.”

Rhodey’s face was going pale and he was struggling to stay awake.

“Come on Rhodes, stay with me-”

There was a roar, loud enough to shake the ground.

Lo whipped her head around in time to see the Hulk come smashing through the warehouse.

He wiped out a line of guards, heading towards Tony.

“Good enough,” Tony said.

He leaned down, picking up Rhodey bridal style. 

“I’ll come back for you,” Tony said.

“Just get him to the jet!”

Tony took off, flying back to the plane, a barely conscious Rhodey in his arms.

Bucky turned around, his eyes landing on Lo, who was still kneeling on the ground.

He moved his gun to one shoulder, offering her his hand.

“You alright, doll?” Bucky asked, helping Lo stand. She nodded shakily.

Bucky raised the gun back to his face, standing in front of her protectively, despite still being shirtless while she was wearing a bulletproof suit.

The Hulk roared again, jumping and landing mere feet away from Lo and Bucky. Lo instinctively jumped, latching onto Bucky. Bucky kept his gun raised protectively.

Hulk turned, smashing his fist into another guard.

There were even less of them now. Barely twenty or so, when there used to be at least a hundred. Bucky took aim, shooting down a few more.

Lo looked over to see Nat and the others heading towards them. They must’ve cleared out all the guards in their area.

The last remaining guards huddled together, sensing defeat. Lo noticed a few drop their guns and reach for their pockets, taking out pills. Cyanide, Lo realised, her face dropping.

“We don’t have to kill you,” Steve tried. The nearest guard simply bared his teeth and spat at the Captain’s shoes.

“Hail Hydra,” he said, swallowing the pill.

The others all followed suit. Lo had to look away, not wanting to watch as they needlessly took their own lives. There was a distinct thud, as each guard crumbled to the floor.

Bucky checked over his shoulder. His mouth thinned when he saw her expression.

“I didn’t want you to have to see any of this,” he said.

“I’ve probably seen worse,” she answered honestly. Still, it didn’t make the sight any easier.

Bucky frowned, and Lo wondered if he somehow understood.

Lo heard the sound of thrusters, and a few seconds later Tony reappeared.

“I need to get you to Rhodey, now. Clint’s on board keeping pressure on the wound, but it’s not helping.”

Lo nodded, stepping out of Bucky’s grasp.

“I’ll meet you on the plane,” Bucky promised. Lo nodded again, squeezing his hand once before walking over to Tony.

Tony grabbed her around the waist before launching into the sky and flying towards the jet.

~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Rhodey!
> 
> Let me know what you thought in the comments below!


	24. Surgery and Showers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im so sorry for the late update! My life has been so hectic lately, I haven't even had time to sit down and update- *cue frustrated pout*.
> 
> I hope this chapter makes up for it, particularly the shower scene. You'll see what im talking about ;)
> 
> Hopefully everyones having a great week!
> 
> -Artemis

Tony was right, Rhodey looked _awful._

Stark dropped her off at the jet, muttering about how he had to go back and help the others. Lo ran onboard to see Rhodey, now out of his suit, lying on the floor of the jet. Clint was above him, keeping his hands pressed to the wound on Rhodey’s knee.

“I’ve got it,” Lo said, taking over for Clint. She pressed her bloody hands to Rhodey’s leg. “Rhodes, can you hear me?”

No response.

“Shit, okay, Clint, I need you to bring me any and all medical equipment we have on board.”

Clint didn’t respond, just shot up and half limped-half ran to an emergency supply cupboard.

Lo put a hand on Rhodey’s neck, checking for a pulse. It was faint, but there.

She put an ear to his mouth, listening for his breathing. Again, faint, but still there. She let out a breath of relief. _Okay, you can do this._

Clint came back, dumping a whole bunch of supplies beside Rhodey’s head. Lo immediately grabbed the scissors, using them to cut open what was left of Rhodey’s pants.

She checked once more for any other injuries, but found nothing.

“Okay Clint, I need you to come here,” Lo said. Clint immediately knelt beside her, looking for something to do. Lo threw on some gloves, before removing the makeshift bandage she applied earlier. She examined the wound, checking for any debris. 

Rhodey’s leg was bleeding less, but still hadn’t stopped yet. Lo grabbed a piece of gauze, stuffing it into the wound before grabbing a new bandage and wrapping it tightly over top. “I need to elevate his leg. Can you find me something to rest his leg on?”

Clint disappeared, while Lo maintained pressure on Rhodey’s knee. He returned a few seconds later with a box, no doubt containing weapons. _Good enough_ , Lo figured. 

Clint helped her carefully raise Rhodey’s leg, placing it on top of the box.

She checked the bandages briefly. The blood had gone through, but it was definitely slowing down. Lo grabbed another anyway, wrapping it around his leg.

“Get a blanket or something to keep him warm, we don’t want him going into shock.”

Clint managed to find one of those emergency blankets for hypothermia and threw it over Rhodey.

“Where are the others?” Lo asked.

“Nat’s checking the tunnels, trying to find information, before she explodes the place. The rest of them are on their way back now.”

“Good, because Rhodey’s going to need emergency surgery, and I can’t do that from here.”

Clint put a hand to his ear.

“The doctor says hurry up and get your asses on the plane or Rhodey’s gonna die.”

“CLINT!” Lo exclaimed, eyes wide.

“What?” he asked, looking at her in surprise. “It’ll make them get here faster.”

“WHAT THE-” Tony shouted in her ear. Lo winced, wondering why his audio cut off. 

Her question was answered a second later when Tony appeared at the ramp of the jet.

“IS RHODEY GONNA DIE?!”

“No!” Lo yelled. “Well, maybe- just get on the fucking plane!”

Tony’s mouth snapped shut, and he stomped over to see what they were doing.

The rest of the team arrived a minute later, obviously having run the whole way over.

“Is he okay?” Sam asked first, coming to check on Rhodey.

He was coming in and out of consciousness now, which was making her worried.

“I need to get him to a medical lab.”

“There’s one at the compound,” Tony said.

Lo nodded, maintaining pressure.

Banner stumbled onto the plane, back to himself again, wearing a loose pair of shorts.

“Where’s Nat?” he asked, looking around the jet.

There was a huge explosion in the background. Lo was the only one who appeared disturbed by the sound.

“On her way back now,” Tony answered.

Lo looked around. Bucky still hadn’t made it back. She was about to ask Steve where he was, but the sound of footsteps cut her off.

Bucky appeared at the bottom of the ramp, wearing a shirt Lo didn’t recognise, and carrying his rifle under one arm. Lo sighed in relief.

His gaze automatically snapped to hers, checking her over for injuries, before dropping down to Rhodey.

“Is he okay?” Bucky asked, coming to stand beside Lo.

Lo checked the bandages under her hands.

“He’s no longer bleeding, which is good, but he needs emergency surgery. And a blood transfusion, too.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

Lo shook her head, smiling gratefully at him.

“Are you alright?” she asked instead.

He sat down next to her, careful to avoid touching Rhodey.

“I’m fine, doll. It’s you i’m worried about.”

“I wasn’t the one who got kidnapped,” she reminded him. Bucky shrugged, opening his mouth to speak when Natasha arrived.

“Thank god,” Clint muttered. “We gotta go.”

He disappeared to the front of the jet, dropping into the pilot seat.

“Did you find what you were looking for?” Tony asked. Nat nodded, holding up a flash drive.

“All the _real_ Hydra plans are on this stick,” she said.

“And the tunnels?” Tony asked.

Nat shrugged. 

“I doubt anyone will be using them anytime soon.”

For Nat, Lo was pretty sure that meant ‘exploded beyond recognition’.

Tony only nodded, while the jet took off into the air.

“So what happened to you, man?” Sam asked, looking at Bucky.

Bucky frowned, looking down at the ground.

“I blacked out after the fight in London. I think they drugged me and took me underground. They wanted to bring back the Winter Soldier and use him to take out the Avengers, so they brought me to New York. But the trigger words didn’t work, obviously. They were going to try and wipe my memory when you showed up.”

“Bucky was the plan all along,” Nat said, holding up the flash drive as evidence. “The list of Hydra bases was planted. They only started targeting ex bases to draw Barnes out of Wakanda, so they could take him.”

Bucky nodded in confirmation.

“Shit,” Sam said. Lo let out a deep breath.

Yeah. Shit pretty much covered it.

“But I stole their plans and wiped all their files from every system and set it to self destruct. Even the one in London. Whatever tunnels they were using are destroyed now.”

If Lo wasn’t still putting pressure on Rhodey’s knee, she’d probably drop her head in her hands.

They did it. All of Hydra’s resources were completely destroyed.

A wave of relief flowed through her.

Bucky placed a hand on her lower back, dropping his forehead to her shoulder.

“I told you i’d come back,” he whispered.

“Technically, I had to come get you,” she smiled.

“Same thing,” Bucky argued.

Lo kissed him on the forehead.

“Always, remember?”

“Always.”

~~~~

They arrived at the compound a few minutes later. 

Steve and Thor helped carry Rhodey down from the jet and into one of the medical rooms. Lo, Shuri and Bucky trailed behind, while the rest of the team went to go clean up.

Shuri looked around the lab when they arrived, her brow raised critically.

“Wow,” she said. “This technology is so primitive.”

Tony glared at her, but said nothing else.

Steve and Thor set Rhodey down on a table.

“Thanks, boys,” Lo said, checking on Rhodey’s bandages.

“Our pleasure. Do you require further help?” Thor asked, smiling as bright as ever.

“No, you guys did great,” Lo smiled back. Thor turned and left the room.

Lo lifted the bandage.

“The bleeding has completely stopped,” she said.

“Good,” Shuri nodded. “You’ll need to close up the wound and get a blood transfusion going.”

“I’ll start on the stitches, can you do the blood?” 

Shuri nodded, looking to Tony for support. He left the room, gesturing for her to follow.

Lo began hooking up various machines to check on Rhodey’s vitals. She was distantly aware of Steve and Bucky standing behind her, watching intently.

Lo changed her gloves and put some scrubs and a mask before removing the bandages, putting them onto a tray beside her. She cleaned his wound with antiseptic solution, checking for any hidden debris once more, before getting her needle and thread.

She thread the needle easily after years of practice, not needing to use the tweezers, and began the process of stitching up Rhodey's wound.

Shuri and Tony arrived a moment later, carrying the necessary equipment for a blood transfusion.

Shuri moved to the other side of the table, setting it up, while Lo continued working on the stitches.

“He’s going to be okay, right?” Tony asked, letting a bit of the fear shine through in his voice.

“He should be fine,” Lo said. “We’ll have to keep him in overnight to monitor, but once he gets the blood transfusion, we should start to see some improvement.”

Tony nodded, but Lo could see the relief in his eyes. She grabbed the scissors, finishing off the last of her stitches while Shuri continued working on the blood transfusion.

Lo wrapped a bandage over the wound, just in case, before finally stepping away. She threw away the bloody bandages, along with her mask and gloves, and began taking off the scrubs.

“Friday, can you keep me updated on Rhodey’s condition every hour?”

“Yes, Doctor,” The A.I replied.

Shuri finished up on the blood transfusion, stepping away to remove her own gloves. Rhodey remained unconscious, which was probably for the best at this point. “All done.” 

“Nice work, Doc,” Steve said, smiling at her and Shuri.

“And how are you, Soldier?” Lo asked, turning to Bucky.

Most of the colour had returned to his face, but he looked desperate for a good meal and a full night's sleep.

“I’m fine, doll. Honestly.”

Lo raised a brow, clearly not believing him.

“Whatever you say, big guy. How’s the rest of the team, Tony?”

“All fine, just some minor scratches and bruises.”

“Good. Then I suggest you guys go shower and get some rest, 'cause none of you have slept since you left for London.”

“Neither have you,” Steve pointed out.

Lo chuckled. “Then I will too, come on. Let’s leave Rhodey to rest.”

The five of them left the medical lab. Tony and Steve went to their own private rooms, while Lo and Bucky lingered in the main foyer with Shuri.

“Thanks for coming, Shuri,” Lo smiled. “We seriously needed you out there.”

“I’m glad I could help. That’s twice you owe me now, Barnes,” Shuri grinned. Bucky groaned.

“Don’t remind me.”

“Are you staying for a while?” Lo asked. Shuri shook her head.

“T’Challa will be worried about me, I need to go home for a bit.”

“You’re still coming this weekend though, right?” Lo asked.

“Of course,” Shuri said, pulling Lo in for a hug. “I’ll see you in a few days.”

“Good,” Lo replied, squeezing her friend tight. “Get home safe, and thanks again. I mean it.”

“Anytime.”

Lo let go, and Shuri turned to pull Bucky into a quick hug.

“Try not to get kidnapped again anytime soon,” Shuri said. Bucky let out a chuckle.

“I’ll try not to, Princess.”

Shuri stepped back and flicked his ear, walking outside to her waiting jet.

“I’ll call you later,” Shuri said, turning to wave at them. Lo smiled and waved back.

They waited until Shuri boarded the jet and took off, before heading back to the apartment.

Bucky opened their door, letting her walk in first, before he followed suit.

Lo waited for him to shut the door, before launching herself into his arms.

Bucky let out a quiet “Oof-” as she jumped on him, but he caught her around the waist before she fell. He walked her over to the couch, sitting down so that she was straddling his lap, still hugging him.

Lo buried her face into his neck, just letting herself breathe in his scent for a moment.

This whole day hardly felt real. Lo was exhausted, right down to her bones, and she could barely contain the tears that suddenly welled in her eyes.

“You alright, Babydoll?” Bucky asked, keeping his arms wrapped around her waist.

“I saw it,” she answered. Bucky’s face twisted in confusion. “I saw them take you away. I figured out London was a trap, and Friday managed to get us some security footage. I saw you save Sam, and then they overwhelmed you, and the bomb went off and you were _gone_ -”

“Shh,” Bucky hushed her, pulling her back into his warm embrace. Lo couldn’t stop the tears from falling down her cheeks.

“I watched them take you away, and there was nothing I could do.”

A sob raked through her and she clung to his shirt, balling the fabric under her fists. She was being pathetic, she knew that, but all of the events of the past day were catching up to her, and Lo couldn’t stop herself.

“It’s okay, It’s okay, sweetheart,” Bucky cooed. “You did do something. You found me, you saved me, doll. You saved me.”

Lo cried even harder, and Bucky squeezed her tight, nuzzling into her hair. He kissed her forehead before pulling back for a moment, catching her gaze.

Bucky wiped the tears from her cheeks.

“Please don’t cry, sunshine,” he said. Lo sniffed, trying to blink away her tears. Her face was probably all blotchy, but she didn’t have the energy to care.

Bucky’s mouth lifted at the corners.

“I can’t believe you convinced Steve to take you on a mission.”

Lo couldn’t help but laugh. “Trust me, he couldn’t stop me if he tried.”

“Honestly, doll, I believe that.”

Bucky let his hands rest on either side of her cheeks, his steel blue eyes holding hers.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Lo breathed. “I don’t know what i’d do without you.”

Bucky leaned forward, slowly, until his lips brushed against hers. Gently, at first, and then with more purpose.

She let herself melt into his kiss, tangling her hands into his hair.

“You’re everything to me, sunshine. Everything.”

Lo kissed him again, pouring every emotion- every worry, every feeling, every fear, into that kiss. Bucky took it all, kissing her back with as much intensity as she gave.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” she asked, for what was probably the hundredth time today.

“I’m sure,” Bucky said, huffing a laugh.

“Did they actually hurt you?”

She almost didn’t want to hear the answer. Bucky frowned.

“They hit me, a couple times, but nothing serious. I was unconscious for most of it.”

Lo dropped her head onto his chest, her throat tight with emotion.

“I’m sorry,” Lo said. Bucky kissed her forehead.

“It’s not your fault, sweetheart. I’m okay now.”

Lo breathed in his scent, reminding himself that he was here with her now. They had got him back. Lo was determined to keep it that way.

“I’m gonna make you some food,” she said, getting up from his lap. “Go take a hot shower. You deserve it.”

He smiled softly at her.

“You’re not gonna join me?” he asked. Lo raised a brow. _He wanted to shower with her?_

“I didn’t realise that was an option,” she answered honestly, feeling her cheeks heat up.

“We could save water,” Bucky said, his smile growing.

“Oh sure, because _that’s_ the real reason you want to shower together.”

“I’m only thinking about the environment,” he said, dipping down to capture her lips once more. Lo kissed him back, smiling halfway through. “And I missed you. I’m not sure I can let you out of my sight yet.”

Lo didn’t even try to hide the grin that spread across her cheeks. Bucky’s eyes lit up at her smile.

“Go start the shower, Soldier,” she whispered. Bucky grinned, stepping away from her.

“Yes, ma’am,” he answered.

Lo watched him walk away fondly, her heart bursting with affection.

“Friday?” she called, once Bucky had entered the bathroom, a couple of towels under his arms.

“Yes, Doctor?”

“Can you get some pizza delivered? Just double my usual order.”

“Of course, Dr. Haynes. I’ll have it brought up to your apartment.”

“Thanks, Friday,” Lo smiled.

She heard the shower start running, and walked towards the bathroom door, following Bucky.

He had his right hand under the water, testing the temperature. Lo closed the door behind her, feeling a little nervous.

Bucky waited for the water to feel warm enough before walking over to her, placing his hands on her hips. She leaned into his touch, letting her head rest on his chest. Bucky’s thumbs rubbed circles into her skin.

“I don’t know if i’ve said this yet, but thank you,” Bucky whispered, placing a kiss on her forehead. Lo looked up, her eyes meeting his.

“For what?”

“For getting me out of Hydra. I don’t want to know where i’d be without you.”

His eyes were open and vulnerable. Lo saw the fear there, and it broke her heart.

“I’d never let them hurt you,” she promised. “Never.”

Bucky dipped down, capturing her lips between his. It was sweet and almost reverent, the kind of kiss that could fix anything. 

She put her hands on his cheeks, running her thumbs over his slightly longer stubble. He opened his mouth, using his tongue to trace over her lower lip. She complied, opening her mouth to caress his tongue with her own. Bucky groaned, his grip on her hips tightening.

Her hands moved to his hair, fisting the tangled strands, while Bucky’s tongue continued caressing her mouth.

Damn this boy could kiss. 

His hands moved gently up her sides, lifting her shirt up with them. She pulled back from his kiss, yanking her shirt off swiftly so that she was standing in just her sports bra and pants.

Bucky’s mouth went immediately to her ear, tracing the curve with his tongue before nibbling on her lobe. “You’re beautiful,” he breathed. Lo couldn’t help but shiver, raising goosebumps along her skin.

Bucky moved, placing kisses down her neck until he reached her collar bone. 

The hickeys on her neck were still there, but had faded slightly.

“You look so pretty with my mark,” he said. “I like having other people know that you’re mine.”

Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as he started suckling and nibbling on her collarbone. 

Bucky was so talkative during sex. Always praising and sweet-talking her. Lo never would have expected it from him but _fuck_ , she loved it.

“Always,” she promised. “I’m yours, Bucky.”

He moaned into her skin, continuing his path of kisses until he reached her bra. His left hand snaked up her back, undoing the clasp in one motion. It shouldn’t have been hot, but it really, really was.

She let her bra fall down, bringing her hands back to his hair to tug gently. Bucky dropped to his knees before her, leaving open mouthed kisses along her chest until he reached her right nipple. He traced her areola with his tongue, before sucking her nipple into his mouth. Lo gasped.

“So pretty,” Bucky said, in between kisses. She felt his tongue flick over her nipple and she arched in response. “I love the noises you make for me.”

Lo had her head thrown back in bliss, but she glanced down to see him kneeling before her, his mouth on her boobs, one hand on her hip while the other gripped her ass. His erection was tenting his pants, and Lo felt her mouth water. 

Bucky was on his knees for her. Worshipping her body with his mouth like there was nothing else in the world he’d rather be doing. Lo felt her chest swell with affection, with love, for him.

Lo tugged gently on his hair, pulling until he stopped his ministrations and looked up at her. She planted a heavy kiss to his lips, sucking his bottom lip between hers so she could nibble gently on the swollen flesh.

He squeezed her ass once before getting back to his feet, towering over Lo once more.

She put her hands on his abs, feeling the hard muscle beneath his shirt. She tugged on it, and he helped her pull it over his head.

Suddenly Bucky’s chest was bare to her. She traced every muscle with her fingers. Starting at his wrists and making her way up to his elbows, over his biceps and to his shoulders. She lingered at the scars on his left shoulder, dipping her head to place a soft kiss on the scarred tissue. Bucky sucked in a breath. 

Her hands continued down, over his pecs to trace the contours of his abs. She planted another kiss to his chest, right on his sternum, while her hands went to the waistband of his pants.

Her eyes met his as she undid the clasp of his pants, pulling them down. Bucky toed off his boots, helping her remove his pants. His eyes never once leaving hers. 

She curled a finger under the waistband of his underwear, pulling the fabric down his hips and over his erection. Bucky shifted, letting the fabric fall down his legs.

“Your turn,” he grumbled.

He dropped back down to his knees, Lo would never get tired of seeing him like that, and planted a soft, open mouthed kiss just below her belly button.

He grabbed her pants, tugging them down slowly, kissing every inch of open skin that was revealed. She kept her hands on his shoulders, steadying herself. 

“Beautiful,” Bucky mumbled, his mouth lingering on her upper thigh, so close to where she wanted him.

Bucky stood back up, grabbing her hand to interlock their fingers, and tugged her towards the shower.

Lo followed him, shifting the shower curtain to get under the stream next to him. Bucky let Lo have most of the hot water, placing open mouthed kisses along her neck.

She hummed, feeling the hot water hit her back, mixed with the feeling of Bucky’s mouth on her skin. Pure ecstasy. 

“Let’s get you cleaned up, Babydoll,” Bucky said, turning to grab some soap. He lathered up his hands, before placing them on her shoulders.

Bucky spun her around, so her back was to him, the shower raining down on her chest. He massaged her neck and shoulders, and Lo tipped her head back, resting it on his chest.

His hands trailed down, continuing to massage along her body, removing all the grime from the fight earlier. He only stopped to grab more soap.

Bucky paid extra attention to her boobs, pressing his hands into the soft skin until she was gasping against him. Only then did he keep moving, cleaning the rest of her, just to stop once more at her ass.

He massaged her smooth skin, tracing delicate patterns into her flesh, edging closer and closer to the sweet spot between her legs.

“Bucky,” she gasped, when his right hand shifted to swipe between her legs, parting her lips. She knew he could feel how wet she was, and it wasn’t from the shower. Bucky groaned against her, she could hear the vibrations in her chest.

He continued lathering her up, cleaning all the way down her legs, before pressing her more firmly under the shower head. She let the hot water wash away all the suds.

Bucky encouraged her to tip her head back under the stream, while he grabbed some shampoo.

He tugged her gently towards him, out of the water, and began massaging the shampoo into her hair. Lo felt her eyes roll back, she wasn’t used to such care and attention. Bucky placed a gentle kiss on her lips, tipping her head back to rinse out the shampoo, and began the same process with the conditioner.

He ran his fingers through her hair, so gently, making sure the conditioner was fully worked in before helping her to rinse it out.

“C’mere,” Lo mumbled when he was done, switching so that he was better under the stream. Bucky opened his mouth to protest, but she stopped him with a firm kiss on the lips.

She grabbed the soap, massaging into his skin like he had done for her. She took the time to rub each of his strong muscles, admiring the curves and lines each one created.

He watched her do it all with a fondness in his eyes. She smiled at him and continued, tracing her hands over his sculpted torso, following the natural v of his hips, down to the erection between his legs.

Lo reached up to plant a soft kiss to his lips, which Bucky returned with fever, before wrapping her hand around the base of his cock. He sighed into her mouth, parting her lips with his tongue so he could deepen the kiss. Lo let him, swiping her thumb over the head of his dick to grab the precome gathered there, and continued stroking him gently.

He shuddered, closing his eyes and tipping back his head.

“So good, so perfect, Lo,” he breathed.

She stroked only a few more times, not wanting to get him off just yet, before cleaning off the rest of his body and grabbing the shampoo.

“Under the water, Big Guy,” she ordered, encouraging him to get his hair wet.

“Yes, ma’am,” Bucky complied, standing further under the stream of hot water.

Lo tugged him back after a moment, standing up on her toes to rub shampoo into his hair.

Bucky took the opportunity to wrap his left arm around her waist, pulling her body flush against his. He dipped down, making it easier for her to wash his hair, and put his lips to her chest, sucking and biting as he went along. 

Lo felt her heart rate quicken and fought to keep her breathing steady, working the shampoo into Bucky’s hair. His lips found her right nipple and he tugged it gently between his teeth. She gasped, accidentally pulling on his hair, and Bucky groaned.

“Under the water,” she said breathlessly, trying to stop from getting too distracted by his kisses.

He tipped his head back, but kept her body flush against his, and let the water run through his hair. She reached up and helped to wash out the shampoo, before he turned his head back to her.

Lo felt the breath leave her body. His eyes were dark, pupils blown wide. His dark hair was even darker wet, and was slicked back from his face by her hands. He looked like all of her wicked fantasies come true.

“What?” Bucky husked. Lo felt her cheeks heat up at his tone.

“You’re really hot,” she said honestly.

Bucky’s face split into a grin and he laughed. 

“Hot?” he questioned, tipping his head forward to nuzzle against her neck. She grabbed the conditioner.

“Yes, hot.” she answered. “Like, if you keep looking at me like that I think I might pass out, kind of hot.”

“I’ll catch you if you do,” he grinned against her skin. Lo rolled her eyes and smiled.

“Wow, so kind of you.”

She liked Bucky like this- funny and soft and teasing. She liked him when he wasn’t like this too, though. Actually, she just liked him all the time.

Lo took the conditioner between her hands and ran it through his hair, taking time to massage his scalp. He moaned into her neck. Lo nudged him back, rinsing his hair thoroughly.

When she was done, and sure that he was properly clean, she stood back on her toes to kiss him. He let her, tightening his metal arm around her waist so that she was flush against him.

Lo sighed into his mouth, and he took the opportunity to slide his tongue into her mouth. Lo traced the outline of his firm muscles with her finger tips, trailing one hand down his navel and wrapping firmly around his erection. She pumped her hand, feeling the smooth, silky skin under her fingers.

“Sweetheart,” Bucky rasped, tearing his mouth away to plant kisses along her jaw and down her throat. Lo continued stroking him, swiping her thumb over the tip. He nibbled his way down her chest, catching one nipple between his lips and rolling his tongue over it. She gasped, squeezing the base of his cock, and Bucky hissed.

Faster than she could process, he had his arms under her legs and lifted, pushing her against the shower wall. Lo yelped, wrapping her legs around his waist on instinct, which put his throbbing member right between her legs.

Bucky growled. “The things you do to me.”

He dipped a hand between her legs, parting her lips to press a gentle finger against her entrance. Lo moaned, leaning her head against the wall. She forgot how strong he was sometimes. But now, holding her against the wall using only his metal arm, she was delightfully reminded.

Bucky took the opportunity to plant more hot kisses along her neck, sucking and nipping at her skin while he eased a finger inside her. She moaned, twisting her hips against him, looking for more. She felt Bucky grin against her throat.

“You need more, sweetheart?”

“Please, Bucky, please.”

“Tell me what you need.”

He eased a second finger inside her, curling his fingers just so, and Lo cried out.

“Talk to me, doll,” Bucky said, resuming his kisses along her chest.

“You-you, I need you.”

Bucky smirked again, removing his fingers. Lo almost whimpered at the loss of contact, but stopped when she felt him line himself up at her entrance.

“Anything for you,” Bucky promised, kissing her on the lips this time.

He thrust, easing inside her inch by glorious fucking inch. Lo was pretty sure she whined pathetically. But the way he filled her up so good-

“You’re perfect, doll. God you feel so good, you take me so good sweetheart.”

He was rambling sweet praises into her ear, and with each thrust of his hips she felt something building inside her. Coiling tighter and tighter, higher and higher with every push of his hips inside her.

She could feel each inch of him drag inside her as he pulled out and thrusted back in, hitting a place so deep inside that Lo saw stars. She moaned again, grinding her hips against his, chasing that bliss.

“Come for me sweetheart, I wanna see you fall apart on me,” he rasped. It was enough to send Lo over the edge. 

She cried, screwing her eyes shut against the wave of pleasure that raked through her. Lo felt her walls tighten around him and Bucky swore, grunting as he came inside her.

He held her against the wall as they both came down from their highs, planting sugary sweet kisses around her face before easing her to her feet.

Lo couldn’t help but kiss him again once she was standing. She tangled her hands through his hair, sucking his lower lip between her own.

Bucky groaned, soft and sweet, before resting his forehead against hers. His blue eyes were still dark with hunger, and his lips looked thoroughly kissed.

“God you’re gorgeous,” Lo breathed, causing Bucky to smile.

“Pretty sure i’m supposed to be the one saying that.”

“I don’t care,” she replied.

Bucky helped her clean up once more, before shutting off the shower. He wrapped a towel around his hips and offered her the other.

She shrugged on a robe, also handing one to Bucky, and led him out of the bathroom, taking his metal hand in hers. She stopped by the front door and opened it, where two boxes of Pizza were waiting on the ground.

“Thanks Friday,” Lo remembered to say, picking up the boxes and shutting the door.

“Of course, Dr Haynes,” the A.I replied.

Lo thought for a minute, turning to Bucky. “Can we eat in your room?”

“Course, doll,” he answered, pulling her along to his room.

Lo dumped the pizza on his bed, crawling under his covers to get comfy. Bucky climbed in beside her, immediately pulling her onto his lap. 

Lo squeaked in surprise, holding onto his arm for dear life.

“I forget you can just pick me up and move me,” she said. Bucky laughed, his eyes even crinkling at the sides.

“Sorry, I just like having you close.”

“Don’t be, I like being close,” she assured, kissing the tip of his nose. Bucky immediately scrunched up his nose and my, _wasn’t that the most adorable thing she’d ever seen?_

Bucky reached over and grabbed a pizza box, flipping it open and offering it to her first. She took a slice, shoving it into her mouth ungracefully. It was only then that she realised she hadn’t eaten in...who knows how many hours? And judging by how quickly Bucky was wolfing down the pizza, he was even worse.

She felt her chest tighten painfully at the sight. Her poor Buck, forced underground with those sick assholes. Just the thought of those Hydra bastards hurting him was enough to make her stomach flip uncomfortably.

She wasn’t proud of killing them. She could never be happy with that. But Lo was very, very grateful that they were gone, and would never be able to touch him again.

Bucky looked at her curiously. “What are you thinking about?”

“You,” she answered honestly. “How much I hate Hydra. How glad I am that you’re not with them.”

He frowned, leaning forward to kiss her cheek. “Me too, doll. And I owe it all to you.”

“And the rest of the team,” she corrected on impulse. Bucky shrugged, opening up the other box of pizza.

“Yeah, them too, but they never would have gotten to me in time if it weren’t for you. You’re the reason i’m here now,” he assured. Lo felt her face flush.

She shrugged. “Regardless. I’m just very, very happy you’re here right now.”

He kissed her on the lips this time, she could taste the pizza on his tongue.

“Me too,” he whispered. 

His blue eyes were bright and sincere, his mouth pulled into the beginnings of a sad smile. He was still the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

 _I love you_ , she thought again, itching to say it.

Bucky grabbed another piece of pizza, offering it to her, and Lo took a bite instead.

Soon, she promised herself. She would tell him soon. But for tonight, she would just enjoy having Bucky in bed beside her, fed and warm and happy.

There were much worse places to be.

~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one chapter to go! :O and then we're on to the epilogue!


	25. Lo Said It First

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Sorry again for the late update, I literally had four assignments due this week so I've had no time to update whatsoever. I hope you're all doing well and having a much more relaxed week than I am, lol.
> 
> Anyway, welcome to the final chapter! We did it guys, I can't believe it. I think I started writing this fic in April? it's now almost October and we are over 100,000 words in!
> 
> Don't worry, I still have an epilogue coming, so stay tuned for that. Otherwise, thank you all so much for reading this story. This has been such a fun journey and I absolutely loved hearing all your guys thoughts along the way. This chapters a nice fluffy one, so I hope you all enjoy.
> 
> Hugs and kisses,
> 
> Artemis

They lounged in bed all night, eating pizza and talking until Lo’s throat was dry and her voice raspy. But she couldn’t complain. Bucky kept her on his lap the whole time, his arms wrapped securely around her waist. She couldn’t stop herself from reaching out to run her fingers through his hair, or gently rubbing his shoulders- just reminding herself he was there, and he was safe.

They were both feeling a little overprotective and in need of a little touch. But could you blame them?

Lo shoved the pizza boxes to the side once they were done, telling herself she would throw them out later. Her eyes were feeling heavy, and Bucky’s heartbeat in her ears was its own kind of lullaby.

Lo put her head on Bucky’s chest, relishing in the way he ran his fingers through her hair, and dozed off. She felt the ghost of his lips on her forehead.

She thought she heard him whisper something, or maybe he didn’t. She was too close to sleep to really tell.

~~~~

Lo was in a field.

It was a familiar field. She had been here before, recently.

The hills were lush and green, the sun peeking just over the horizon. The ground shook beneath her finger tips from the heavy stampede of rhinos.

She was in Wakanda again, looking at one of the prettiest sunsets she'd ever seen. And yet something was missing. 

She could feel it, right down to her soul. Something was missing. Something that was here, with her, the last time.

Lo tried to look around, searching for her missing-something. But the world tipped on its axis, and then she was falling, falling, falling down.

~~

Darkness- and then, sun- no, moonlight. Lo blinked the stray water droplets from her eyes. _Water droplets?_

She looked down. She was surrounded by dark water, in a white dress. It was night time. She was standing in a lake. A familiar lake. Lo had been here, too.

She looked towards the shore.

A pile of blankets was laid out, with pillows and lily's and lanterns. An empty basket of food in the centre.

Lo smiled, her chest feeling full and warm with some emotion she couldn't place.

She walked through the water, that was surprisingly warm on her skin, and towards the pile of blankets.

Something was still missing. Something connected to this memory- something important.

Lo frowned, trying to remember, but her head felt all fuzzy and cloudy. And then she heard a noise.

It was soft and quiet, and familiar too, like this whole lake. She felt compelled to follow it.

Lo looked around the trees, and out to the shore, trying to find the source of the soft, quiet sounds.

She heard it again, louder this time. It was a cry. 

Not out of pain or misery, the kind of cries she was used to hearing. This was a new cry. An _unfamiliar_ cry- a babies cry.

And there was more noises, now. The sound of shuffling, and rocks moving, and the softest, quietest hushing Lo had ever heard.

She turned instinctively towards the new sound.

There, on the other end of the shore, was her missing something, a bundled up blanket in his hands.

Lo walked towards him, trying to stay quiet, conscious of the moving, wriggling, crying thing in his arms.

Her Bucky. That's what had been missing. He was supposed to be in all of these memories. 

Lo smiled at him, not that he saw her. He was too busy hushing the bundle of blankets in his arms, the left one moving so gently- so carefully- as he readjusted the blanket.

Lo got closer, wanting to be near her Bucky. With his long dark hair, broad shoulders and shiny metal arm- her heart was filled with that emotion again. _Love,_ Lo realised.

The crying got louder, but Bucky's soft _hushes_ were still quiet. He rearranged his arms, lifting the blanket, cradling and rocking it under the moonlight.

Lo froze, as the bundle of blankets became clear. It wasn't a blanket. It was a baby. Bucky was holding a crying baby, looking no more than a few days old.

It's face was so _small_ , Lo's chest constricted even tighter. Even in the dim moonlight, there was no mistaking the baby's steel blue eyes.

Lo felt her breath hitch.

Bucky heard her, of course he did. His head instantly snapped to her.

His face lit up in a grin. The rare kind, the special one, with teeth and crinkly eyes- eyes that were slightly glazed under the light of the moon.

So many things became clear, in that moment.

Lo was looking at Bucky, holding their baby, by the lake where they'd had their first date.

The baby started crying again. 

Bucky's brow furrowed. He shifted the baby again, rocking slightly, and began to sing. 

_'You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy, when skies are grey...'_

Lo felt tears well in her eyes. Bucky was singing, the softest, quietest song she'd ever heard. The baby instantly stopped crying, looking up at him in something like wonder.

Bucky looked back to Lo, beckoning her closer, while he continued to sing his lullaby. 

_'You'll never know, dear, how much I love you...'_

Lo was frozen to the spot. Watching the love of her life sing to their baby.

_'Please don't take my sunshine away.'_

Lo's head was still fuzzy and cloudy. She couldn't remember how she got there, or where Bucky and her baby had come from. But one thing was abundantly clear-

Lo couldn't remember being this happy in her entire life. There was no where in the world she wanted to be than right here, in this moment. 

Bucky lifted his head and smiled at her. Lo smiled in return.

~~~~

She woke up crying a few hours later. 

Lo couldn't remember why she was crying, or what she had been dreaming about. But there was a distinct _longing_ in her chest that hadn't been there before.

Bucky shifted beneath her. She had fallen asleep on his chest, and must have stayed there the whole night.

"Sweetheart?" Bucky croaked, his voice raspy with sleep.

"Awake," she answered, trying to subtly wipe away her tears.

"There a reason my shirts wet?" Bucky chuckled. "I could be wrong, but I don't think it's drool."

Lo laughed, still feeling inexplicably sad. "I was crying in my sleep."

"You have a nightmare?"

"No- they were happy tears, I think. It must have been a really good dream. I feel sad that it's over- even though I can't remember what it was about."

He shifted her, rearranging them both so that they were lying on their sides, facing each other. Bucky kissed her on the forehead.

"Maybe you'll remember it later."

"Maybe," Lo agreed, though she could feel the dream slipping further and further from her memory with each passing second.

"How are you feeling?"

Lo stretched her legs, stifling a cry at the last second. All the fighting from yesterday, combined with Nat’s brutal training the day before, had left her entire body aching.

Bucky's face immediately filled with concern, she held up a hand to silence him before he had the chance to speak.

"I'm alright, just a little sore from yesterday."

"You sure?"

Bucky's steel blue eyes looked at her in worry. Something about them stirred her memory- some little part of her dream coming to the surface.

"Positive."

He looked at her, assessing, before finally deciding to believe her.

Bucky's gaze dropped to the dog tags around her neck. He lifted his left hand, tracing around one of the metal tags.

“Do you want it back?” Lo asked. She wouldn't lie, the dog tags had become a comforting warmth around her neck. She would be sad to see them go. But they were Bucky's- they belonged to him.

Bucky shook his head. “Keep it. I like them better on you.”

He leaned forward, placing a kiss over the tags, before planting another on her lips. She smiled, kissing him back.

"We need to get up. I have to go check on Rhodey."

"He can wait," Bucky argued, leaning in to kiss her more thoroughly. Lo let him, tangling her hand in his hair.

Bucky coaxed her mouth open, deepening the kiss even further. Lo gasped.

She brought a hand to his chest. "Sorry, Soldier. As much as i'd love to keep going, I _really_ need to go check on Rhodes."

Bucky groaned, flopping onto his back like a child who'd just been told Christmas was cancelled.

Lo couldn't help but giggle at him. It was true, though. She really did need to check on Rhodey.

Friday had been keeping her updated throughout the night, but she needed to see him in person. She'd received an alert a few hours ago to say that Tony had gone down to check on Rhodey himself. Lo was willing to bet all of her Stark paycheck that Tony was still there. She needed to go kick him back to bed.

Bucky rolled out of bed, adjusting his metal arm as he went. "Alright, Doc. You're the boss."

Lo grinned, bright and mischievous. "I like the sound of that."

Bucky gave her a look over his shoulder, filled with heat and lust, enough to make her stomach clench.

"You better get movin', sweetheart. Before I change my mind and keep you in bed all day."

Lo bit her lip, debating whether it was worth pushing him. But by the look in his eyes, Bucky was dead serious. And Lo really needed to check on Rhodes. And kick Tony out of the med bay.

She sighed, mind made up, and climbed out of bed.

Lo tried not to wince too obviously, her muscles screaming in protest. But judging by the look on Bucky's face, she wasn't hiding her pain well.

"Maybe you should take some of Rhodey's painkillers for yourself," Bucky said, not even bothering to joke.

"I'm fine," Lo promised.

She kissed him on the cheek as she passed, grabbing the leftover pizza boxes and throwing them in the trash. Bucky got into the shower while she cleaned up.

He only took a few minutes, leaving the bathroom in nothing but a towel hung dangerously low on his hips. Lo was pretty sure she was salivating.

She tried to walk past him, only limping a little. He immediately held out a hand for her to take, leading her back into the bathroom.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to collapse, Buck. It's okay."

"I know," he said, but his hand never left hers.

He helped her into the shower, leaving only when he was sure she could stand there on her own. Lo huffed at him, though secretly she liked knowing how much he cared.

Bucky got changed into his usual dark get up, with Lo not far behind, and the two of them left the apartment- heading for the medical rooms.

~~~~

Rhodey was asleep when they arrived. And, just as Lo expected, Tony was still there. He was snoring softly in the chair next to Rhodey's bed, his next twisted uncomfortably.

Lo cleared her throat gently, trying to wake up Tony without disturbing Rhodes.

It didn't matter. Tony immediately woke up with a jerk, knocking over half the equipment- which immediately triggered an alarm loud enough to wake up the entire compound.

Lo rushed to the bed, fixing all the equipment Tony had knocked over.

"Friday, shut it off!" Tony shouted, still half asleep.

"Yes, Sir," the A.I dutifully replied.

The sirens immediately stopped. Both Tony _and_ Rhodes were awake now.

Lo finished righting all the equipment, while Tony came back to life.

"I came to check on him a few minutes ago, must have dozed off," Tony said. Lo didn't bother telling him that _no_ , she was well aware Tony had crept down here in the early hours of the morning and had been keeping an eye on Rhodey ever since.

The bags under Tony's eyes spoke for themselves.

"Vitals look good," Lo said instead. "Blood pressure is a lot better. How do you feel, Rhodey? Any dizziness? Nausea?"

Rhodey shook his head. His skin was much less pale now. "I'm good, Doc. Thirsty, though. And I could've done without the whole-" he waved his hands at the equipment "blaring sirens, thing. But other than that, i'm good."

"Water, I'll get water-" Tony grumbled, rushing from his chair to find some water. He almost walked into a wall.

"You know he's been here pretty much all night, right?" Rhodey asked, looking at Lo significantly. She heard Bucky chuckle from behind her.

"Yeah, I know. Don't worry, i'm sending him to bed as soon as i'm done with you."

"Good. That idiot forgets that he's human sometimes. Unlike the machines around him, Tony actually requires sleep. And food. Do you know how many times i've come into the workshop, just to find out that he's been awake for 40 hours straight?"

Lo laughed. "Don't worry. One time, when I was working at Stark Industries, I came into the lab for my 9am shift on a Monday morning. I found Tony asleep with a welding torch in his hand. It was still on. He'd been there since friday- i'm surprised he didn't burn down the freaking building."

"You telling stories bout me, Haynes?" Tony said, reentering the room with a bottle of water in hand.

"Talking about you behind your back is good for the patient," Lo explained.

"Oh, right, I must've missed that tip in my last first aid course."

"It's working. I feel much better," Rhodey grinned. Tony just rolled his eyes and handed him the bottle of water. But not before twisting off the cap for him first.

"You two get on far too well," Tony grumbled.

"It's Lo. I think she has a crush on me," Rhodey smirked.

Lo rolled her eyes. "At least you still have your sense of humour."

"Nothing can take that away, Doc."

"Oh, goodey," Tony said dryly.

Rhodey rose a brow. "What's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me? _what's wrong with me?_ You almost _died_ , thats what's wrong!"

Rhodes rolled his eyes. "You're still going on about that?"

" _Going on about it?_ Rhodes- I had to watch Haynes here try and hold your leg together with her bare hands."

"And?"

Tony threw his hands up in exasperation.

"Look, i'm good man, okay? So you can stop worrying so much. Seriously, ask the Doctor, i'm fine," Rhodey groaned, turning to Lo for support.

"You could do with some food and more rest, but otherwise yeah, everything looks good," Lo supplied.

Rhodey turned back to Tony. “See? The hot doctor agrees.”

Lo could tell Bucky was tensed and frowning behind her, and she was torn between laughing and scolding the three of them.

Tony sighed, rubbing a hand over his tired face. Lo decided to do neither. She could see Tony was just worried about his best friend.

She turned to Rhodes. "Need any pain medication?" 

"Nah, I'm good."

"Great," Lo nodded. "Then i'll let you rest. Later on we'll try get some food into you. Just call Friday if you need anything else."

" _Anything_ else?"

"Anything related to your _injury_ ," Lo clarified. She heard Bucky huff behind her. "Christ, Rhodes, you hit your head, too? I could've sworn you weren't this flirty before the accident."

Rhodey laughed. "Nah, i'm only messing with you. Thanks Doc."

Lo checked his bandage, and vitals, once more. "No problem. Now c'mon, Stark."

"What? No, i'm waiting here."

Lo cut him a fierce look. “You need a shower, and sleep in an actual bed. Rhodey will still be here once you get back.”

Tony glared at her.

"Seriously, man. I'm not moving anytime soon," Rhodey joked, looking at the bandage on his knee with a wince.

Tony paused, looking between the two of them. “ _Fine_ ,” he relented. “But i’ll be back in an hour-”

“Three,” Lo cut in.

“-Two. Don’t do anything stupid until I get back,” he finished, glaring at Rhodey pointedly.

Lo couldn't help but smile. It wasn't often she got to see Tony Stark acting like an overprotective mother.

“Come on, people. Let’s let the patient rest.” 

She directed Tony and Bucky out the door. It took Tony a little longer, he had to stretch out the kinks in his muscles that sitting in that chair had earned him.

“You good, Stark?” Bucky asked, as Tony winced and groaned, massaging a spot on his neck. 

“Fine, fine. I could do with a 10 day vacation in the Bahamas, but so could you, I bet.”

“I’ve never been to the Bahamas,” Bucky deadpanned. Tony looked at him incredulously.

“Jesus, Robocop, seriously? We need to fix that, like, yesterday.”

Bucky just shrugged, following Lo and Tony out of the medical area.

The two of them walked Tony all the way to the door of his apartment. Lo refused to let him out of her sight- she was sure that if she did, he'd only run down to Rhodey's bedside again.

Tony knew what she was up to, she could tell, because he kept sending her these exasperated looks the whole way back. In Lo's mind, it was only confirmation that he needed a baby sitter.

"I think I can take it from here," Tony said sarcastically, when they reached his door. Or his floor, more accurately, because of course Tony Stark had the compound penthouse all to himself.

"You sure?" Lo joked. Tony didn't even bother answering her. 

Lo reached down to her wrist, looking at the bracelet still there. The one Tony had given her for protection. She was ready to give it back.

"Keep it," Tony said, obviously catching what she was doing.

Lo shook her head. “I don’t need it anymore."

Tony rose a brow. "Oh really?"

"Yeah. Don't get me wrong, i'd go running into battle for this guy again in a heartbeat," Lo said, gesturing to Bucky, and pointedly ignoring his sound of refusal. "But i'm hoping with Hydra gone, there won't be anymore kidnappings."

"We'll keep your boy safe," Tony confirmed, the corner of his mouth quirking upwards.

"You better, Stark. But as I was saying, no more Hydra, no more fighting for me."

That, of all things, got a laugh out of Tony. "You know what kid, thank god for that. If I ever have to watch you run into battle and explode another jeep, i’ll have a brain aneurysm.” 

Bucky went still beside her, and Lo tried not to cringe.

Tony pressed on. "Either way, keep the bracelet. It can be your...911 protocol. You know, in case something goes wrong, and Robocop and I aren't here."

Lo looked to Bucky, gauging his reaction. He still wasn't happy about the whole 'exploding a jeep thing', but she could tell he thought it was a good idea. And Tony, well, despite his 'i-don't-care' attitude, Lo could tell he was genuinely worried about her. Keeping the bracelet would ease both their consciences. And with their new lifestyle (because it was _theirs_ , Lo was part of this now), one could never be too careful.

“I won’t take it off,” Lo promised. Tony blew out a breath.

“Good, now get out of here. I’m under strict orders to shower and nap.”

Lo grinned, stepping away from the door. “3 hours Tony.”

“One and a half,” he replied.

She rolled her eyes, waiting until Tony was definitely inside his apartment, before taking Bucky's hand and heading back to their room.

Oddly, that longing Lo had felt earlier, when she first woke up, was no longer there. She couldn't remember her dream. She didn't know why she had woken up feeling like she was missing something. But she felt better, now. Lighter, even.

Lo looked at Bucky, who somehow managed to look as buff and intimidating as always, despite the tiredness in his eyes. 

She thought back to Tony, who was, hopefully, taking a well earned shower and nap.

Lo even thought about Rhodey. And Steve. And Nat and Clint and all the others. She thought about Pepper. About Shuri, who had dropped everything the day before, to help Lo find her Bucky.

She thought about all these people, and the longing in her chest eased, at least for now. Because, Lo realised, she was surrounded by her family. The people she cared about most. The people she loved.

Bucky squeezed her hand, looking at her curiously. "What are you thinking about?"

"You," she answered honestly. Because the answer was always him, really. 

Bucky grinned at her, and she squeezed their interlocked hands. His metal hand was firm and reassuring in her palm.

"I'm so glad I have you back," she whispered. 

"I'm happy to be back," he said, kissing the back of her palm.

She was pretty sure if she could see herself right now, her face would be the literal definition of 'heart eyes'. 

Bucky just smiled, walking her back to their apartment. They took the long way, passing hallways filled with endless windows. She could see the running track outside. And in the far distance, the garage filled with all of Tony's expensive sports cars.

"Now what?" Bucky asked, a little suggestively.

Lo smiled, shrugging her shoulders. "Now we do whatever you want. I've already decided, i'm not working today. Tony can fire me if he wants, I don't care. Today is all about _you_."

"Me, huh?" Bucky asked, grinning at her. 

"Mhmm," Lo hummed. "We can do anything you want. It's your choice."

“Anything?”

Lo grinned, rolling her eyes. “Anything. I’m all yours, remember? Always.”

Bucky smiled down at her, blue eyes crinkling and shining bright. The sight alone was enough to take her breath away.

He dipped down, kissing her cheek.

“Always,” he promised.

Lo smiled back at him, feeling every bit like a fool in love.

Truthfully, there was a lot they probably should be doing. Like sorting out the Hydra base in London, getting Rhodey healed, and dealing with the fight in New York. But fuck it, all that could wait. For now, she was walking hand in hand with Bucky. And that was more than Lo could ever wish for.

As if to prove it, Bucky smiled at her, his eyes going all soft and pretty. Lo would've thought she was dreaming again, but the pressure of his hand in hers felt too real.

“I love when you look at me like that,” he said quietly. Lo’s mind was reeling over the fact that he said _love._

“Like what?” 

“Like i’m the only thing in the world. Like you love me,” Bucky answered. 

Lo felt all the breath leave her body. It felt like time itself stopped, and everything had began moving in slow motion. 

Bucky deserved to know how she felt. He probably deserved it more than anyone in the entire world. 

And, well, Lo never was a fan of lying. 

She took a deep breath, preparing for the plunge. 

“I do love you, Bucky.” 

Bucky froze, his face twisting. Lo felt her heart race. 

“What?” 

“I said I do love you, Buckaroo.” 

His mouth opened and closed. Once, twice, while his eyes searched her face for any signs of a lie. 

“Say that again.” 

Lo felt her face split into a smile. She laughed, the sound breathless and nervous even to her own ears. “I do love-” 

Bucky cut her off, shoving his lips against hers. He picked her up around the waist, spinning them both so fast that Lo felt dizzy. 

She laughed again, this time loud and carefree and _happy_. Bucky put her down on the ground gently. 

“I love you,” he said, face lighting up with his smile. 

It was another one of those special ones, of course, full of teeth and sparkling, crinkly eyes a shade of blue that Lo could only describe as _home._

And Lo realised, in that moment, that she would do _anything_ to make Bucky smile like that- again and again and again, forever. 

“Always,” Lo promised, kissing him firmly on the lips once more. 

“Always." 

~~~~ 

Steve Rogers stood somewhere behind them, listening into their conversation with a smile on his face. He knew Buck heard him arrive, and knew he was now eavesdropping on them, but Steve didn’t care. Bucky could beat him up about it later. 

Steve looked down at the datapad in his hands, sending a message to Shuri. 

_‘You owe me $20,’_ the message read. _‘Lo said it first.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed that little throw back to Steve and Shuri's ongoing bet about Lo and Bucky's relationship. We started this fic with the four of them, it felt only right to mention them at the end, too.
> 
> As always, thanks again for reading! Let me know what you thought in the comments below. I'll be posting the epilogue next week (*fingers crossed*) so stay tuned! It's gonna be a long one, and a lot of fun, too.


	26. EPILOGUE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, people! Sorry i'm a day late, this chapter just kept growing and growing.
> 
> Wow, I can't believe it. The final chapter! Ever!  
> I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who stuck with me through this journey. Your comments is what kept me writing- without all your support, there is no way I could have finished this fic.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy! I owe it all to you
> 
> -Artemis

EPILOGUE

Some months later.

Lo ran around her room, trying desperately to find another hair clip. 

Well, it was her and Bucky’s room, to be precise. Lo had moved into his bedroom the day she told him she loved him. It made sense, really. She had been sleeping in his room most nights anyway.

The memory of that day still brought a smile to her face. The day she finally told Bucky she loved him. It was probably the best day of her life- mostly because he told her he loved her, too. 

He’d even taken her to bed straight after, kissing every inch of her skin, telling her just how much he loved her. Lo couldn’t stop the smile from creeping onto her face- even just thinking of that night made her skin hot and her stomach fill with butterflies.

But that was almost three months ago. It was now March 10th, Bucky’s...101st? 102nd? _Oh screw it, who was really counting,_ birthday, and here was Lo- running around her and Bucky’s bedroom, down on her hands and knees looking for a damn hair clip.

She huffed. Typical, really, that the moment she needed one more clip she couldn’t find it. And yet, when she didn’t need them, they were everywhere.

The apartment was empty, besides Lolita. Steve had managed to drag Bucky away from the compound for the day, promising to keep him busy until Lo’s surprise party was ready. What the two supersoldiers were doing, she had no idea, and she didn’t particularly want to know. But as long as Steve found a way to keep Bucky busy, Lo didn’t care.

She had been organising with Pepper for weeks now, trying to prepare a surprise party for one of the most observant people on the planet. Pepper had pretty much taken the lead, knowing Lo wouldn’t be able to hide much from her ex-spy assassin boyfriend. Which was true. Bucky always knew when Lo was hiding something. Partly because she hated lying to him.

So Pepper had taken the initiative to clear out the garage on the compound, moving all of Tony’s fancy sports cars for the evening. They had decided on a 1940’s theme, like the kind of parties Bucky would have gone to before the war. That included removing all the modern technology from the garage, and filling it with vintage looking tables and chairs and decorations. And- most importantly- everyone was under strict instructions to dress in something from the 40’s.

Lo’s stomach flipped. God she was nervous. What if Bucky didn’t like it? What if the theme brought back bad memories?

She shook her head. It was too late for that now. Besides, she’d talked to Steve about the theme earlier, and he assured her Bucky would love it. Steve even went the extra mile in buying a replica army suit, like the one Bucky used to have, and had it brought to the compound. He had a similar one for himself, so that they could both change once they got back.

Lo took a deep breath. She needed to stop worrying. Steve would take care of Bucky. And although she hadn’t seen the garage yet, she just knew Pepper would have it looking amazing. Everything was in order.

She moved her nightstand, still crawling on the ground, and let out a shout of triumph. There were two hair clips on the ground.

Lo snagged them, standing up straight again and walked over to the full length mirror. She adjusted her dark curls once more, pinning one side to keep it out of her face.

Lo had modeled her look after Peggy Carter- arguably the most badass, and beautiful, women in the 1940’s. Her hair had been set in pin curls, that were now brushed out so that her long dark hair fell in cute curls around her face. Her makeup was minimal, mostly red lipstick and thin eyeliner, similar to Peggy’s in the few photos Lo managed to find of her.

She was wearing a red dress. One of the only dresses she had brought with her to the compound. It had been sitting in her closet for months, waiting for the right opportunity to be worn. And tonight was perfect.

It reached just below her knees, made of the prettiest deep red satin with an off the shoulder neckline. Bucky’s dog tags had been replaced by pearls, one of the only times she had ever taken them off, and matching pearl earrings were in her ears.

Lo fixed her hair with a bit of hairspray, readjusting her makeup once more, and gave herself a thorough once over in the mirror. She hardly recognised herself.

She looked like something out of an old magazine or a movie. From the hair to the dress to the matching heels- it was beautiful, to be honest. She looked vintage.

A knock at the door interrupted her, and Lo raced to go answer it.

Tony Stark was standing on the other side, wearing an old, pinstripe 40’s suit. He even had a damn cane.

His mouth dropped open when he saw her.

“Fucking Christ Haynes! You look like a damn pinup model!”

Lo couldn’t help but laugh, her cheeks heating up in surprise. “Shut up, Tony.”

“No, I'm serious. This is genuinely insane. Did I hit my head on the way over here? Cause i’m pretty sure you just stepped off a photoshoot from 1942.”

Lo rolled her eyes, her cheeks heating up even more. “That’s enough, Stark. What do you need?”

Tony snapped his mouth shut and jutted out an arm. “Well, _madam_ , I am your escort to tonights gathering, of course.”

Lo lifted a brow, checking the time on her phone. “You’re an hour early.”

“Yes, but Pepper told me to come get you. She wants your approval on our newly remodelled garage. You know, before the other guests show up.”

Lo smiled. Trust Pepper to be about 50 steps ahead of everyone else. “I’d love that. Thanks, Tony.”

“Pleasures all mine, kid. Seriously. I think you’d give Marilyn Monroe a run for her money right now.”

Lo rolled her eyes, taking his outstretched arm, but not before elbowing him in the side for good measure. 

~~~~

Tony led Lo out of the compound and out to the garage. It looked the same from the outside, but Lo could already hear all the moving and people shouting from within.

Tony swung open the side door, gesturing for Lo to walk in first. “After you, madam.”

“Enough with the ‘madam’ thing,” Lo chuckled, stepping ahead of him. The sight was enough to make her lose her breath.

Two things entered her mind at once. First, Pepper Potts was a Goddess with powers Lo could only dream of. And two, maybe Lo had hit her head as well. Because she was honest to god convinced she had just stepped into 1940.

The garage had been completely transformed. What was once concrete walls and sports cars, had now been replaced by huge, lush cream curtains and stained hardwood floors. There were lights strung up everywhere, and tables and chairs with food and drinks off to one side. There was even a designated dancefloor. And, Lo’s favourite part- where Tony’s shiny convertible once sat, there was now a black, vintage Buick. And beside it, rows and rows of old vintage motorbikes, cars, and even a freaking plane.

She couldn’t believe it. These vehicles belonged in a damn museum- how the hell had Pepper managed to get them in the garage?

Pepper, the goddess that she was, spotted her and Tony over by the door. Lo hadn’t even been able to move from the spot. She took one step inside and froze, leaving Tony outside.

Pepper laughed at the two of them, looking absolutely radiant in her white, vintage dress.

“Get in here, you two!” Pepper laughed, ushering them inside. “Oh wow, Lo. You look beautiful!”

Lo could hardly even respond. All words failed her. She just ran over and threw her arms around Pepper.

“I have no idea how you managed to do this. The curtains, the cars- everything- this is perfect, Pepper. I don’t know how I can thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank me,” Pepper smiled, returning Lo’s hug. “I know how much tonight means to you. You were so excited to plan a surprise for Bucky- I wanted everything to be perfect.”

“It is perfect- its _beyond_ perfect. God, Pepper, I’m going to cry-”

“Don’t cry!” Pepper cut in, letting her go. Lo blinked furiously, trying to get rid of the wetness in her eyes. “Seriously, don’t. I’m just glad you like it.”

“I love it. So much. It’s beautiful.”

“Good,” Pepper smiled, rubbing Lo’s arms gently. “Now come on, no crying. You’ll ruin your makeup.”

Lo chuckled, waving her hands in front of her eyes, trying to dry away the tears before they spilled.

“Here, let’s go get you a drink.”

Tony made a sound of approval, which earned another laugh from Lo. Together, the three of them headed over to the drinks table, ready to steal some champagne.

They passed a stage, Lo noticed in surprise. Pepper must have caught her staring.

“I booked a band for us.”

“Live, seriously?” Lo asked, as if this night could get any more perfect. 

“Of course,” Pepper smiled. “Nothing but the best. It’s what Bucky deserves.”

And well, wasn’t that the truth? Bucky deserved all the good in the world- Lo was determined to give it to him. And apparently, so was Pepper.

“Champagne?” Tony asked, when they finally got to the drinks table. He handed one to Pepper, and then to Lo. 

“Cheers,” Pepper grinned, clinking Lo’s glass with her own. Lo raised hers in salute, before knocking it back.

~~~~

They stayed around the drinks table, well, her and Tony did. Pepper had to take off a couple times to help the decorators and caterers. But as the hour passed, and staff began filtering out, Tony, Pepper and Lo were still huddled around the drinks table.

Lo eyed her watch nervously. Only 30 minutes until Bucky and Steve would arrive. The garage was all finished, the extra staff gone, leaving only a few caterers and the newly arrived band. It looked perfect. It was perfect. _God, why was she so nervous?_

Just as Lo looked to the door of the garage, Sam Wilson came strutting in. He was in a snazzy three piece suit with a matching fedora- even had a gold chain attached to the waistcoat. Lo couldn’t help but grin at the sight of him- she was glad everyone had taken the theme seriously and committed to the full dress up.

Sam’s brows shot up as he entered the garage, taking in all the new decor. His gaze lingered on the vintage cars and bikes on the far wall, letting out a low, impressed whistle, before spotting her. “Damn, Haynes! You really went all out, huh?”

“Mr. Wilson, you look _dashing_ ,” Lo grinned, stepping forward to hug him. “And you can thank Pepper for the decorations. She did it all by herself.”

Pepper huffed, waving off Lo’s praise, but Sam cut her off. “Mr. Wilson?” he said, looking at Lo incredulously. “ _Dashing?_ Really? What am I- your grandfather?”

Lo laughed. “I mean, you certainly look the part.”

That got a chuckle out of Sam, and he shook his head good naturedly. “Don’t say that. I was just about to tell you how gorgeous you look, but now I feel weird about it. You know, seeing as i’m your _‘grandfather’_ and all.”

Tony cut in, speaking for the first time since Sam’s arrival. “ _You_ feel weird?” he joked, swaying a little from all the champagne. “Imagine how Bucky must feel. He’s _actually_ old enough to be her grandfather. You and I are just playing dress up.”

“True,” said Sam, laughing along with Tony. Pepper just rolled her eyes at the both of them. 

Tony grabbed another champagne flute from the table. Pepper tried to snatch it from him, but he expertly avoided her, handing the drink to Sam instead. “What?” Tony said, looking at Pepper with mock hurt. “I was only getting Sam a drink.”

“Sure you were,” Pepper said, looking at him doubtfully.

Lo watched as she turned around, and Tony snuck another glass for himself.

Sam took a sip. “Seriously though. This place looks amazing- like, _amazing_ , amazing.” He pinned Lo with a mock serious stare. “You know, you are far too good for Bucky. You ever feel like dumping his sorry ass, come find me.”

Lo rolled her eyes at his teasing. He was always trying to flirt with her- usually to piss off Bucky. She thought Steve was joking when he said Sam and Bucky were constantly bickering. Turns out, he was vastly understating it. Not that she minded too much. Despite trying to constantly piss off her boyfriend, Sam was still a pretty good friend to him.

“Sorry, Sammy, not happening.”

He shrugged, downing the rest of his champagne. “It was worth a shot.”

“Say, Haynes, when’s your lover boy showing up?” Tony interrupted, grabbing another champagne flute. Lo had lost count of how many he’d had, but judging by his slur, the answer was ‘too many’. “At this rate, i’ll be passed out drunk by the time he arrives.”

Lo raised a brow. “Oh really?”

“Mmhmm,” Tony hummed, finishing off the next glass and reaching for another. Lo snatched it out of his grasp. 

“Good. Then i’m cutting you off.”

Tony’s mouth dropped open in surprise. 

“Drink anymore champagne and i’ll kick you out. Don’t think I won’t, Tony. You aren’t ruining Bucky’s party by getting black out drunk before he even gets here.”

“You can’t kick me out! You’re the one who invited me!”

“And i’ll uninvite you, too,” Lo threatened. “Trust me, Stark. Any drunken antics from you, and you’ll have worse things coming than a sharpied on Union Jack.” Tony looked like he was going to try and argue, but Pepper put a hand on his shoulder.

The combined pressure of Lo and Pepper had him crumbling. Within seconds, Tony sighed and gave up. 

Lo raised the glass of champagne she stole from him, clinking her glass with Peppers right in his face. She ignored his moans about evil women ganging up on him.

“How much longer?” Sam asked. Lo checked the time again.

“20 minutes?” she said, fighting the nerves bubbling up her throat. Or maybe it was the champagne? Nope, definitely nerves.

The tables were being set with food, and the band began to play, something old and unfamiliar to Lo, which only added to the 40’s atmosphere.

The door to the garage opened again, and in walked Nat and Clint. At least, Lo assumed it was Clint. His outfit made it hard to tell.

Clint had gone for a more gangster 1940’s styled outfit- complete with dark trench coat and cool hat pulled low over his eyes. It was less proper than Sam’s suit, but more edgy and mysterious, very suitable for the dorky assassin. And Nat, of course, looked amazing. Her red hair was in gorgeous waves, and she was wearing a fringed, low cut blue dress. Much more revealing than typical 1940’s style dresses, but still so gorgeous.

The two spy-assassins approached them. Sam grabbed two more champagne flutes, handing them over.

Nat took a glance around the room, no doubt taking in every single detail in that millisecond look. “This is cosy,” she said, the corners of her mouth lifting. 

Clint took a much more conspicuous look around the room, doing a full 360, champagne still in hand. “Cosy? More like _awesome_. Man, you guys certainly didn’t cut any corners. I feel like I just walked into 1942.”

“That’s the idea,” Pepper said, smiling at Clint’s open expression of awe.

“You think Bucky will like it?” Lo asked, directing her question at Nat. The redhead sent her an affectionate look.

Lo and Natasha had trained almost everyday since Bucky was kidnapped, even though Lo was yet to go on another mission. Over time, the two of them had become quite good friends.

“You’re nervous,” Nat said, reading her like an open book. Lo chuckled.

“It’s that obvious?”

“Only to me.” Nat took a sip of champagne, glancing around the room once more, before her eyes focused on Lo. ““He’s going to love it, Mаленького шпиончика.” 

Lo let out a breath of relief. She knew Nat wouldn’t lie to her, and it was reassuring to hear praise from someone she trusted.

Sam must have overheard their conversation, because he cut in. “He’d better. If he doesn’t like it, I say we kick him out and party without him.”

“Sam,” Lo scolded.

“I’d be down with that,” Clint grinned.

The garage door opened again, and the rest of the team came filing in.

First came Wanda and Vision, wearing a suit and dress that matched each other perfectly. Then Banner, in a classic dark suit, similar to Tony’s but much less flashy. Then came Rhodey, his slight limp slowing him down just a bit.

His knee had healed pretty much perfectly, but it still left him with a barely there limp on most days. Lo was sure it would go away over time, but until then, Rhodey had to deal with being a little slower than usual. He was wearing a dark green army suit, similar to the one Steve had found for him and Bucky. It looked great, and was even adorned with all of Rhodey’s medals.

Behind him, the last to arrive, was Thor. Lo’s mouth dropped open when she got a look at him.

“Is that-” Sam began, the same time Clint said “Uh-”

Thor was wearing what Lo could only describe as ‘1940’s banker meets...Asgardian prince?’ He was wearing a bowler hat over his blonde hair, and even a monocle, complete with a briefcase containing god knows what. But his suit was covered in gold finishings, and his signature red cape was on top of his shoulders.

Lo could tell how excited he was. He had clearly tried, probably harder than anyone, in making his outfit. And although it was a little unorthodox, she could see the happiness and pride in his face. 

Tony and Pepper excused themselves to say hi to the new arrivals, while Lo, Sam, Nat and Clint lingered behind.

“Is Thor wearing...gold?” Clint asked, something like disbelief on his face.

“I mean... the guy is a prince. Maybe it’s traditional?” Sam answered.

“It’s definitely not traditional,” Nat smirked. 

Lo couldn’t help but smile at Thor, especially as he pulled Tony into a bone crushing hug, almost slapping him in the head with his briefcase. “I like it. He seems happy.”

“You mean _drunk,_ ” Clint grinned. And sure enough, Lo figured out what was in the briefcase, as Thor grabbed a flask from inside and took a swig- locking the case when he was done.

“Is that the Asgardian stuff? The one that can put even Steve on his ass?” Sam asked.

The group watched as Thor half strutted, half stumbled towards a nearby punchbowl, dumping half the contents of his flask inside.

“Remind me not to drink that,” Lo said, her brows shooting up.

Clint gave Sam a look and the two of them grinned, abandoning their champagne flutes and running over to try the spiked punch. Nat sighed.

“The world thinks we’re heroes- but look at them. All a bunch of children. Sam and Clint are going to be drunk in seconds- and you know who’s going to get stuck carrying their sorry, drunk asses back to their rooms?”

“You?” Lo grinned.

“Nope. Steve.”

Lo laughed, imagining a sober, angry Steve, dragging Sam and Clint out of the garage by their collars.

“I’m looking forward to seeing that, to be honest.”

“You and me both,” Nat smiled. “Did Steve manage to get an outfit together for him and Barnes?”

“Yup, it’s hanging out the back somewhere. I haven’t seen it yet, but Steve said it’s pretty much the same as Bucky’s old army uniform. He said they’ll get changed after the surprise part is over.”

“Good,” Nat nodded.

Lo took another sip of her champagne, willing it to ease her nerves. Nat swirled her glass, expression shifting minutely. 

“You know, i’m not sure how much he told you about my past,” Nat paused, allowing Lo to answer.

 _Past?_ Lo furrowed her brows in confusion, before realisation dawned. “Ah, you mean your history with Bucky?”

Nat looked away, and Lo took that as a cue to continue. “He didn’t say much. To be honest, I don’t think he remembers all of it. But he mentioned training you for a while, in the red room. And the two of you had some kind of...relationship?”

Nat shook her head. “I wouldn’t call it that. We never cared about each other in the same way you do. But he helped me, despite everything the Soviets were doing to him at the time. And believe me, they did a lot. Especially once they found out about us.”

Lo frowned, her stomach flipping uncomfortably. She didn’t want to imagine the things the Soviets did to Bucky and Nat. She knew it was bad, though Bucky had never gone into detail about what they did to him. She never asked him to.

“The point is, he’s been through a lot. Maybe more than any of us.” Nat’s eyes glazed over, and Lo knew she was remembering her past. “You’re a good person, _little spy_. I’m glad Bucky has someone like you in his life. He deserves something good.”

Lo felt her eyes well up and her vision went blurry with tears. She rushed to blink away the moisture before it had the chance to ruin her makeup.

Not questioning her decision, Lo pulled Nat into a quick hug. 

The spy froze at first, before gently patting her on the back.

“Thank you for being there for him when no one else was,” Lo whispered. And she meant it. She could only imagine what horrors Bucky endured in the red room. She was glad he had Nat to get him through it. Lo felt no jealousy over the situation.

“No tears, Little spy.”

Lo pulled back, sniffing quietly. “No tears.”

Nat smirked, all heaviness of the conversation falling away.

“You look stunning, by the way. If this really were 1940, I imagine there would be more than a few men willing to go to war over you.”

Lo chuckled. “Let them. I’ve got the only man i’ll ever need.” 

Nat lifted her glass. “Cheers to that.”

They clinked glasses. The door to the garage swung open, and Lo felt her heart leap out of her chest. She checked the time, but it was still too early for Steve and Bucky to arrive.

There was a bit of commotion, and then Tony could be heard over the crowd shouting “Kid!”

 _Ah_ , Lo thought, realising who was at the door. She had forgotten Peter was coming.

Nat quirked a brow. “You invited Parker?”

“Pepper thought it would be a nice surprise for Tony.” Lo shrugged. “And also, maybe Peter’s presence will convince him to be responsible- for once- and not get sloshed.”

“Sloshed?”

“You know, shit faced.”

Nat chuckled, shaking her head. “You Brit’s and your slang.”

Lo grinned. “Come on, let's go say hi.”

Lo linked her arm through Nat’s, heading over to the group of people gathered by the door. She spotted Peter instantly, along with Happy, and a woman Lo assumed was the infamous Aunt May.

Peter was in a cute little waistcoat with a newspaper cap. Happy was in a traditional 40’s suit, similar to Banners, and May was in a gorgeous, pale yellow vintage dress.

Pepper was talking politely to May and Happy, while Tony had an arm slung over Peter’s shoulders. He was still obviously tipsy, but someone (Pepper) had thankfully given him a glass of water.

“Spidey!” Lo grinned, removing the poor kid from under Tony’s arm and giving him a hug of her own. “I’m so glad you could make it.”

“Oh! Uh, h-hi Dr. Haynes,” Peter stuttered, hugging her back awkwardly.

“Lo, Peter. Call me Lo.”

“Right,” he nodded, but she could tell he wasn’t going to. “Oh, hi, Ms. Um, Black Widow?”

Nat smirked. “Natasha,” she corrected.

“Right,” Peter repeated. “Oh! Here, you should meet my Aunt. This is May,” Peter gestured to May, who had ceased her conversation with Pepper.

“Lolita Haynes,” Lo introduced, extending a hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Good things, I hope,” May said, laughing gently. Lo could instantly see why she was so well liked by everyone.

“Great things,” Lo promised.

“Natasha Romanoff,” Nat introduced, also shaking May’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“You were at the airport that time, right? When Tony and Mr. Rogers had that falling out?”

Reluctantly, Natasha nodded. May lifted a brow. “You’re lucky my Peter didn’t get hurt.”

Lo’s mouth dropped open in surprise. She had never heard anyone talk to Natasha like that.

Peter must have sensed it too, because he immediately interrupted. “May!”

“No, she’s right,” Nat nodded, surprising everyone. “It was dangerous, we were lucky no one got hurt-” _Besides Rhodey_ , Lo thought to herself. “Peter did a great job.”

“Hmm,” May hummed. Lo turned to see Pepper hiding back a smirk. 

“Can I get you a drink?” Pepper asked, to both May and Happy, leading them away from the group.

Lo let out a breath, not sure whether to laugh or cringe. 

“Sorry about that,” Peter apologised.

“Don’t be. She’s right, you could have been hurt.” Nat turned to glare at Tony.

“What?!” Tony asked, lifting his arms in surrender.

Nat just shook her head, but Lo knew what the glare was for. Tony was the idiot who invited a high school kid to a superhero fight.

Lo felt her phone vibrate, and her chest seized. 1 text from Steve Rogers.

_‘On our way.’_

Nat must have read the text from over her shoulder. “Look alive, people. Steve and Bucky are on their way.”

“Finally,” Tony groaned. Lo rolled her eyes at him.

Sam and Clint chose that time to come sauntering over, barely able to stand. Lo spotted a dark patch down the front of Clint’s shirt- obviously the punch. 

Thor came stomping behind them, grinning like a proud dad. “They fought well!” he shouted, gesturing to Sam and Clint. “But ultimately, no mortal can withstand the might of Asgardian mead.”

“Oh jeez,” Lo sighed.

“That’s what’s in the punch bowl?!” Tony shouted.

Clint was swaying where he stood, and Sam was staring at his feet as if he’d never seen them before in his life.

“Indeed,” Thor said triumphantly.

Peter was looking at him in some kind of shock mixed with fear. He was obviously taken back by Thor's excitement and outfit, though the bowler hat- monocle- briefcase- and cape combo was starting to grow on Lo. Especially with all the gold details.

“I’ll get them some water, maybe we can sober them up before Bucky gets here,” Nat said, grabbing Clint and Sam by the elbows and dragging them to a couple of empty chairs. _Doubtful_ , Lo thought.

Clint sat down, almost toppling off the side. Twice. While Sam stared at the chair like he had never seen such a device. 

“Sit,” Nat ordered. Sam looked at her in confusion, his eyes still glazed from the alcohol. Nat sighed, shoving him into the chair, before taking off to find some water.

Thankfully, Pepper, always 50 steps ahead, bet Nat to it. She arrived carrying two bottles of water in each hand and forced the men to start drinking.

“Alright,” Pepper said, once she thought Sam and Clint were more or less okay. “Come on, we need to hide before Bucky gets here.”

Tony went and turned off the lights, Nat told the band to stop playing, and Pepper slipped away- only to reappear a few moments later with a trolley in hand. And on that trolley was the biggest cake Lo had ever seen, complete with a hilarious number of candles on top. Seriously, Lo couldn't even count them, there were so many. She felt sorry for the person who had to light them all.

“Sorry,” Pepper muttered, catching Lo's stare. “Tony thought it would be funny to put 103 individual candles on top.”

“Of course he did,” Lo chuckled, spotting Tony approach, a huge grin on his face.

The rest of the team (minus Sam and Clint) gathered around the cake in the middle of the garage, waiting for Steve and Bucky to arrive. It was completely dark, aside from the light coming from the 100 candles, and almost perfectly silent. Almost, because it seemed that Thor, in all his regal glory, could not stay still or stop talking for more than five seconds at a time.

He was just about to launch into a story about one of his previous battles on some foreign land when the sound of tires on gravel interrupted. Lo felt her heart leap out of her chest.

Wanda shushed Thor, and the rest of the room fell into silence as the car edged even closer. 

She heard it approach, and slow, until it was right outside the main garage door.

A door opened and shut, followed by a second.

“Whatcha doin’, Stevie?” Lo heard Bucky ask, his voice muffled by the distance.

“Just gotta check on something,” Steve replied. Lo heard his footsteps leave the main garage door and approach the side. Bucky followed him.

“Why can’t you just open the main door?” Bucky asked. Lo could hear the suspicion in his voice.

“Button isn’t working. We’ll try the side.”

Their footsteps got closer. Lo held her breath as the handle to the side door wiggled, creaked open, and Steve switched on the lights.

“SURPRISE!” everyone shouted at once, though Thor was the loudest by far.

Bucky froze at the door, his eyes darting around the room. Steve, who was standing next to him, clapped him on the shoulder.

“Happy Birthday, pal,” Steve said. “Sorry I didn’t warn you earlier. Lo wanted to keep it a surprise.”

Lo, as if hearing her name summoned her, approached the both of them. Bucky still hadn’t moved, but his eyes shifted and locked onto hers.

She tried to fight the blush from creeping onto her cheeks as he took one, no- two, long sweeps over her figure.

“Happy Birthday, Buckaroo,” she smiled.

Bucky tore his eyes from hers, looking over the garage once more. Disbelief was written all over his face. “You did this? For _me?_ ”

“With some help,” Lo nodded, throwing Pepper a grateful smile over her shoulder.

“I can’t- I don’t-”

“I wanted to do something special for you, because you’re always doing things for me. So Pepper helped me plan this out. It’s 1940’s themed- you know, like the parties you used to go to back in the day?”

“Doll-” Bucky said, voice breaking. Lo was shocked to see tears shine in his eyes. He tried to speak again, before obviously giving up, and pulled her into a bone crushing hug.

Their friends all cheered behind them. Lo felt Steve clap Bucky on the shoulder once more before joining the group. Bucky whispered in her ear.

“Thank you, sweetheart. Thank you. This is amazing- I can’t believe you pulled this off.”

The band started playing, and Bucky let her go, turning to find the source of the music.

His gaze drifted over the musicians, landing on the vintage cars, the food, the wooden floors and decorations. “This is exactly how I remember it.”

“Do you like it?” Lo asked nervously.

His eyes landed back on her. “I _love_ it. More than anything. Except maybe you.”

He rushed forward, pulling her into a kiss.

The sounds of the band and their friends chatter all melted away. All Lo could feel was Bucky- his warm lips pressed against hers, the leather of his jacket under her fingertips. It felt like home.

He pulled away, and Lo took that opportunity to drag him towards the cake. Thank god those candles had extra long wicks, or they’d all be out by now.

Lo watched Bucky’s eyes crinkle as he laughed, taking in all 103 candles.

“Wow, you know, i’m really only 30.”

“Nope, birth certificate says you’re 103,” Tony smirked.

“You found my birth certificate?” 

Tony blanched. 

Bucky cracked a grin. “Whatever.”

He leaned towards the cake, inhaling only once, and somehow managed to blow out all the candles. Lo’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. It would have taken her like 4 minutes to blow out all those candles.

The group cheered. Pepper wheeled away the cake, assumingly to remove the candles and cut it up, while everyone else took the opportunity to wish Bucky a happy birthday.

Lo stood to the side, smiling as each person came up to congratulate Bucky. He took all their wishes graciously, still smiling wide. Lo couldn’t help but grin to herself.

To think, only a few months ago, Bucky could hardly stand to be in the same room as some of these people. Here he was smiling at them.

Steve snuck up beside her. 

“You alright, Lo?”

“Perfect. Thank you for keeping him busy for me today.”

“Of course,” Steve grinned. “It was tough. I think the punk knew something was up, he just wasn’t sure what.”

Lo shrugged. “It’s hard keeping secrets from spies.”

Steve chuckled. “You got that right. Hey, what happened to those two?” 

Lo followed Steve’s gaze, her eyes landing on Sam and Clint, passed out on their chairs.

“Asgardian ale,” Lo answered. Steve nodded his head in understanding.

“You look lovely, by the way.”

“Thanks, Cap,” Lo smiled at him.

“It’s funny. Looking around, I can almost believe i’m back in 1940.”

“Really?”

Steve nodded. “You really nailed it. Everything looks perfect.”

“Pepper nailed it,” Lo corrected.

Steve shrugged. “It was your idea. And a damn good one, at that. I haven’t seen Bucky smile this much since you told him you loved him.”

“So you were spying on us that day!” Lo accused. She knew Steve had been there. Not that she’d seen him. But Shuri had sent her a thousand angry messages later, about making her lose a bet, so Lo figured someone had been spying on her.

Steve just grinned, declining to answer. Lo shook her head.

“Your costume's out back, by the way,” Pepper said, approaching the two of them. Steve nodded his thanks at her.

“I’ll go grab Bucky so we can go get changed. See you in a few.”

Lo nodded at him, watching as Steve manoeuvred his way through the crowd, stealing a still speechless Bucky. The two of them went to the back of the garage and ducked out of sight.

The band picked up pace, playing a loud, swing song. Wanda and vision hit the makeshift dance floor, while Banner and Rhodey got more drinks. Tony took Peter and May to the cars, showing off each one.

Nat came and stood next to Lo.

“Told you he’d like it.”

Lo smiled. “You were right, as always.”

“That’s what I like to hear.”

“How long before those two wake up, do you think?” Lo said, looking at Sam and Clint.

“If we’re lucky, they’ll be out all night.”

Lo laughed. “When are we ever lucky?”

“Touche.”

To prove her point, the loud music jerked Clint from his sleep. He woke up and almost fell off his chair, hitting Sam in the process. The two of them were still clearly drunk, though hopefully not as bad as they were a few minutes ago.

Clint stumbled, grabbing Sam, and dragged him over to the dance floor. The two of them were laughing hysterically, swaying and almost falling over rather than dancing. But at least they were having fun.

Nat and Lo stood people watching until Steve and Bucky returned. The sight of the two of them was almost enough to make her damn knees buckle.

If you asked Lo what she thought of everyone's outfits tonight, she’d say they all looked amazing. Even Thor, despite his questionable fashion choices. 

But something about Bucky. Standing there in his dark green army suit, his hat tilted to one side like it was in all those old photos she’d seen of him. Well, it was enough to make her forget about everyone else's costumes. Including her own.

Bucky came strutting forward, his metal arm covered by the long sleeve of his coat. His long dark hair was mostly hidden under his hat, and his face was the barest she’d seen it since Wakanda- not a hint of stubble. He looked _young_. Like the James Buchanan Barnes she’d never met- the one who hadn’t yet been hurt by war.

And then his blue eyes met hers, and the corner of his mouth lifted in the hint of a smirk, like he knew exactly what she was thinking. And there was her Bucky again.

Nat left her to go speak with Steve, so Lo approached Bucky, willing her legs not to shake.

“Evening, Soldier,” she said. It felt strange calling him that, now that he was actually dressed like one.

“Good evening, Ma’am,” he smirked, heated eyes tracing over her figure once more. “Tell me- what’s a dame like you doin’ in a place like this all alone?”

Lo grinned at him. “I was here with my boyfriend, but it seems he disappeared on me.”

Bucky shook his head. “He sounds like a tool.”

“He is,” Lo agreed, biting her lip playfully. Bucky’s eyes narrowed. “But I love him anyway.”

He cracked a grin, pulling her towards him. “I love you too. More than anything.”

Lo pecked him on the lips. “You know, I can see now why the Howlie’s were so popular.”

Bucky quirked a brow at her.

“With you on the team, no wonder you had so many fans. You're freaking _hot._ ”

Bucky laughed, tipping his head back. “Not as hot as you.”

Lo rolled her eyes.

“I mean it. If this party wasn’t for me, I would've snuck out already, with you thrown over my shoulder.”

“Oh really?”

“Really,” Bucky nodded, deathly serious. “You look like all my teenage fantasies come true.”

It was Lo’s turn to laugh, loud and carefree. Bucky grinned at her.

“I love when I make you laugh.”

“I think you’ve told me that before,” she grinned.

Her mind drifted back to Wakanda, to the time her and Bucky had watched that sunset and he told her he would to do anything just to make her laugh.

His eyes went far away, and she could tell he was thinking about the same thing.

“A lot has changed since then, huh?” Lo smiled.

“Not for me,” Bucky argued. Lo raised a brow. “I knew, even then, that it would be so easy to love you. The only thing that’s changed, is now you love me too.”

Lo’s mouth dropped open and she felt her heart squeeze. She couldn’t help but stand on her toes and kiss him again.

“I think I knew I could love you then, too,” she admitted. “Actually, I remember thinking, while we were watching that sunset, that I was going to do anything and everything in my power to make you happy.”

Bucky looked at her, his eyes filled with emotion. “Always so full of surprises.”

She smiled at him, grabbing his left hand so she could press a kiss to the metal knuckles.

The band changed songs again. This time, Lo recognised the song instantly.

She spun around to find Steve standing next to the band, looking at her with a smirk.

_“The other night dear…”_

Bucky looked at her in surprise. “Is this-”

_“As I lay sleeping…”_

Steve tipped his imaginary hat at her, as if to say, _‘your welcome’_.

“It is,” Lo confirmed, answering Bucky’s question.

_“I dreamed I held you in my arms…”_

Steve had requested the band play ‘You Are My Sunshine’- the first song Lo and Bucky had ever danced to, right in the middle of Shuri’s lab.

_“But when I woke, dear…”_

Bucky grinned at her, offering his hand. “Dance with me, doll?”

Lo was hit with the strangest sense of deja vu. “Always.”

_“I was mistaken…”_

Bucky led her into the middle of the makeshift dance floor, away from everyone else. He held her closer than ever, so that their bodies were practically flush, melding into one.

_“And I hung my head and cried…”_

She tilted her head, resting her cheek on his strong chest. Bucky wrapped his arms around her waist, swaying softly. 

“You are my sunshine,” the band sang. Bucky dipped his head, so that his mouth was at her ear, and began singing along.

“My only sunshine. You make me happy, when skies are grey.”

Lo wanted to cry, her heart was filled with so much love and adoration. For him. For her Bucky.

“You’ll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don’t take my sunshine away,” Bucky sang in her ear, his rumbling voice soothing her like nothing else.

As the instrumental started, Bucky lifted his head, planting a firm kiss on her lips.

“Happy Birthday, Bucky,” she said, voice tight with emotion.

“I love you, Lolita.” he promised, steel blue eyes boring into hers. “Always.”

She put her hand on his jaw, caressing his cheekbone. At the side of the garage, the door swung open again, but she ignored it.

“Always,” Lolita promised.

She put her head back on his chest, swaying along to the music.

Their lives may not be perfect, and neither of them have had a perfect past, especially Bucky. But in that moment, the rest of the world melted away. It was only Bucky and Lo standing alone in the whole universe, and the rest disappeared, like rust and stardust.

~~~~

Shuri lifted her hand to knock on the garage door. It swung open a moment later, revealing a surprised looking Steve Rogers on the other side.

“Sorry we’re late,” Shuri huffed. “T’Challa forgot Bucky’s present somewhere over South America. We had to turn around and get it.”

“ _I_ forgot it? I think you mean _you_ forgot it. Barnes’ present was your responsibility, sister.”

Shuri opened her mouth to argue, but Steve cut her off. Probably a good thing.

“Nonsense, you’re right on time,” the captain grinned, gesturing for them all to come in.

T’Challa entered first, followed by Nakia, Shuri and Okoye.

Shuri looked around once they were inside, taking in all of the decorations. The place looked amazing. “Where is Bucky?” she asked. “We should go wish him a happy birthday.”

Steve grinned at her, then tipped his head towards Lo and Bucky, who were over on the dance floor.

Lo’s head was on Bucky’s chest, the two of them swaying softly to the music, completely unaware of the world around them. Shuri realised with a start that she recognised the song, and several things clicked into place in her head. She looked at Steve.

“The more things change, huh?”

“The more they stay the same,” he nodded.

~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand it's done! 
> 
> Couple things- first of all, did anyone catch that little title drop? "And the rest is rust and stardust" is actually a quote i got from the book Lolita, which i thought was pretty fitting. 
> 
> Second- thank you all again for reading this far! i actually went back and read the first few chapters of this book before posting and- yikes- they need some work. I think over the next few months i'm going to go through and rewrite this fic. Nothing major will change (probably), so look out for that. 
> 
> And third, this is the first full length fic i've ever written. It took way longer than i was expecting, but i honestly had so much fun. Also, this probably won't be my last full length fic. I already have some ideas buzzing around for a Darcy/Bucky or Wintershock fic. If thats something you'd be interested in, let me know! And feel free to drop any ideas you have below!
> 
> Other than that, thank you all so so so much for reading. And for the last time for this fic, let me know what you thought in the comments below! x


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